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Q400 captain experiences icy conditions during attempted departure from the ramp resulting in inability to steer. Aircraft is shut down and towed to the deice pad for deicing.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 864547 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200912 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Q400 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control |
Narrative:
First flight out in the morning after snowing all night. Captain noted the ramp area had not been cleared of snow. There was 2-3 inches of fresh snow all around aircraft. Opted to taxi from ramp area to de-ice pad. Upon taxiing 2-3 feet; it became apparent there was no directional control of the aircraft due to snow and underlying icy surface. Captain directed ground crew to replace chocks; where upon an engine shut-down was accomplished. Captain coordinated with ramp crew to arrange for tow to de-ice pad. This resulted in approximately 10 minute delay. A slow tow to the de-ice pad and a difficult de-ice process overall resulted in approximately an hour delay in departure. The captain; having seen the ramp had not been plowed; might have been more prudent to simply order a tow right off the bat. The ramp crew should have made an effort to plow the ramp area sufficient to maneuver the aircraft safely; which did not happen.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Q400 Captain experiences icy conditions during attempted departure from the ramp resulting in inability to steer. Aircraft is shut down and towed to the deice pad for deicing.
Narrative: First flight out in the morning after snowing all night. Captain noted the ramp area had not been cleared of snow. There was 2-3 inches of fresh snow all around aircraft. Opted to taxi from ramp area to de-ice pad. Upon taxiing 2-3 feet; it became apparent there was no directional control of the aircraft due to snow and underlying icy surface. Captain directed ground crew to replace chocks; where upon an engine shut-down was accomplished. Captain coordinated with ramp crew to arrange for tow to de-ice pad. This resulted in approximately 10 minute delay. A slow tow to the de-ice pad and a difficult de-ice process overall resulted in approximately an hour delay in departure. The Captain; having seen the ramp had not been plowed; might have been more prudent to simply order a tow right off the bat. The ramp crew should have made an effort to plow the ramp area sufficient to maneuver the aircraft safely; which did not happen.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.