Narrative:

Took off with snow on wings. My family and I were passenger on this flight. Ord was having a snow storm. All flts were delayed for deicing. I had just driven in from the suburbs and it was very windy and snowy. The roads were slick and there were many accidents. Anyway, I was told deicing was slow. We were all loaded on the plane and we immediately pushed back. I was concerned that we did not get deiced and brought it to the flight attendant's attention. He said he heard there was another deice spot. I did not know, so I waited. As we made the turn onto taxiway T for T10 and heard the announcement to prepare for takeoff, I was horrified. I pointed out the snow on the wings to the flight attendant and he called the cockpit. He told them an MD80 pilot was in back and saw snow on the wings. The captain sent the first officer to look at the wings. He went to the exit rows and looked out and went back to the cockpit. In my mind I was questioning why he did not come back to ask me what I saw, but I figured we were going to get deiced now and I felt greatly relieved. Then there was a chime and we were rolling onto the runway for takeoff. I begged the flight attendant to call the cockpit to stop it. We could all see the snow packed on the flaps and in the fowler flap slot. He did not call. I watched in horror. Ord to san trips are usually heavy takeoffs -- especially from T10. On this takeoff, there were no fowler flaps at work! It was packed with snow. I fly the route weekly and know the takeoff well. I estimated at 100 KTS the packed snow started to pop out. Right before rotation, most of it exploded out and the snow slid down the flaps. I just hoped it would stay out of the engines. I still cannot believe this crew did this. All aircraft at all airlines were getting deiced. Is this a case of a captain thinking he can single handedly save the company and not deice? As a copilot, I am seeing many questionable decisions by capts to save money and compromise safety. I reported this to union safety who also forwarded it to professional standards. I have e-mailed the chairman several times to follow through. I have received no reply. A safety pilot was suggested by a captain. Besides wanting this captain fired for jeopardizing my family and pulling such a stupid stunt, I wanted a procedural change. When a passenger sees something and wants to bring it to the cockpit's attention, if the captain chooses to send the first officer back, he/she should talk to that passenger and have them point out what it is they see. Also, snow wing checks should be conducted from several vantage points to see all the parts of the wings and flight controls -- not just at the over wing exits. This crew was based in ZZZ1. What are they going to do in a winter storm there? Do not know why professional standards and safety will not get involved. I am lucky to be alive and air carrier X is lucky to still be in business. It is everywhere. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter pilot submitted a safety report to the company and the union. The pilot has been contacted by air carrier safety representatives, the chief pilots for the domiciles involved, and by union safety representatives. He explained his concern. The reporter flew, for many yrs, in the united states military flying DC9's. The military made a point of saying the areas around the fowler flap slots could not be plugged up with snow. However, the air carrier does not provide this training. The pilot thinks they should.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 PLT, TRAVELING AS A PAX, SAW SNOW AND ICE ADHERING TO THE ACFT WINGS AS THEY TAXIED FROM THE GATE. THE PLT TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT OF HIS CONCERN AND HE CALLED THE CAPT. THE FO WAS SENT TO INSPECT THE WINGS. THE CREW DEPARTED WITHOUT HAVING THE ACFT DEICED, WITH SNOW AND ICE ADHERING TO THE WINGS.

Narrative: TOOK OFF WITH SNOW ON WINGS. MY FAMILY AND I WERE PAX ON THIS FLT. ORD WAS HAVING A SNOW STORM. ALL FLTS WERE DELAYED FOR DEICING. I HAD JUST DRIVEN IN FROM THE SUBURBS AND IT WAS VERY WINDY AND SNOWY. THE ROADS WERE SLICK AND THERE WERE MANY ACCIDENTS. ANYWAY, I WAS TOLD DEICING WAS SLOW. WE WERE ALL LOADED ON THE PLANE AND WE IMMEDIATELY PUSHED BACK. I WAS CONCERNED THAT WE DID NOT GET DEICED AND BROUGHT IT TO THE FLT ATTENDANT'S ATTN. HE SAID HE HEARD THERE WAS ANOTHER DEICE SPOT. I DID NOT KNOW, SO I WAITED. AS WE MADE THE TURN ONTO TXWY T FOR T10 AND HEARD THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO PREPARE FOR TKOF, I WAS HORRIFIED. I POINTED OUT THE SNOW ON THE WINGS TO THE FLT ATTENDANT AND HE CALLED THE COCKPIT. HE TOLD THEM AN MD80 PLT WAS IN BACK AND SAW SNOW ON THE WINGS. THE CAPT SENT THE FO TO LOOK AT THE WINGS. HE WENT TO THE EXIT ROWS AND LOOKED OUT AND WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT. IN MY MIND I WAS QUESTIONING WHY HE DID NOT COME BACK TO ASK ME WHAT I SAW, BUT I FIGURED WE WERE GOING TO GET DEICED NOW AND I FELT GREATLY RELIEVED. THEN THERE WAS A CHIME AND WE WERE ROLLING ONTO THE RWY FOR TKOF. I BEGGED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO CALL THE COCKPIT TO STOP IT. WE COULD ALL SEE THE SNOW PACKED ON THE FLAPS AND IN THE FOWLER FLAP SLOT. HE DID NOT CALL. I WATCHED IN HORROR. ORD TO SAN TRIPS ARE USUALLY HVY TKOFS -- ESPECIALLY FROM T10. ON THIS TKOF, THERE WERE NO FOWLER FLAPS AT WORK! IT WAS PACKED WITH SNOW. I FLY THE RTE WKLY AND KNOW THE TKOF WELL. I ESTIMATED AT 100 KTS THE PACKED SNOW STARTED TO POP OUT. RIGHT BEFORE ROTATION, MOST OF IT EXPLODED OUT AND THE SNOW SLID DOWN THE FLAPS. I JUST HOPED IT WOULD STAY OUT OF THE ENGS. I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE THIS CREW DID THIS. ALL ACFT AT ALL AIRLINES WERE GETTING DEICED. IS THIS A CASE OF A CAPT THINKING HE CAN SINGLE HANDEDLY SAVE THE COMPANY AND NOT DEICE? AS A COPLT, I AM SEEING MANY QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS BY CAPTS TO SAVE MONEY AND COMPROMISE SAFETY. I RPTED THIS TO UNION SAFETY WHO ALSO FORWARDED IT TO PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS. I HAVE E-MAILED THE CHAIRMAN SEVERAL TIMES TO FOLLOW THROUGH. I HAVE RECEIVED NO REPLY. A SAFETY PLT WAS SUGGESTED BY A CAPT. BESIDES WANTING THIS CAPT FIRED FOR JEOPARDIZING MY FAMILY AND PULLING SUCH A STUPID STUNT, I WANTED A PROCEDURAL CHANGE. WHEN A PAX SEES SOMETHING AND WANTS TO BRING IT TO THE COCKPIT'S ATTN, IF THE CAPT CHOOSES TO SEND THE FO BACK, HE/SHE SHOULD TALK TO THAT PAX AND HAVE THEM POINT OUT WHAT IT IS THEY SEE. ALSO, SNOW WING CHKS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED FROM SEVERAL VANTAGE POINTS TO SEE ALL THE PARTS OF THE WINGS AND FLT CTLS -- NOT JUST AT THE OVER WING EXITS. THIS CREW WAS BASED IN ZZZ1. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO IN A WINTER STORM THERE? DO NOT KNOW WHY PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND SAFETY WILL NOT GET INVOLVED. I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AND ACR X IS LUCKY TO STILL BE IN BUSINESS. IT IS EVERYWHERE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR PLT SUBMITTED A SAFETY RPT TO THE COMPANY AND THE UNION. THE PLT HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY ACR SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES, THE CHIEF PLTS FOR THE DOMICILES INVOLVED, AND BY UNION SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES. HE EXPLAINED HIS CONCERN. THE RPTR FLEW, FOR MANY YRS, IN THE UNITED STATES MIL FLYING DC9'S. THE MIL MADE A POINT OF SAYING THE AREAS AROUND THE FOWLER FLAP SLOTS COULD NOT BE PLUGGED UP WITH SNOW. HOWEVER, THE ACR DOES NOT PROVIDE THIS TRAINING. THE PLT THINKS THEY SHOULD.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.