A B777 air carrier pilot reported the windshield wipers were ineffective during an approach and land...

Attributes
ACN	912634
Time
Date	201010
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZZ.Airport
State Reference	FO
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B777 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Final Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Window Ice/Rain System
Person 1
Function	Pilot Not Flying
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 230 Flight Crew Total 8000 Flight Crew Type 800
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

Narrative:

Upon arrival; the weather was overcast and moderate drizzle. During the approach; the drizzle was heavy enough to obscure the front windscreens and make it difficult to see the runway. Using the windshield wipers did not improve the visibility appreciably. The wipers were old and left gaps in which no water was removed from the window. We made a maintenance log entry for the windshield wipers; but the windscreens did not shed water enough without the wipers for clear visibility out the windows. The drizzle dissipated enough prior to landing to allow us to land the aircraft safely. The windows should be checked for permanent rain repellent coating capability as they do not seem to work very well in that respect.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B777 air carrier pilot reported the windshield wipers were ineffective during an approach and landing.

Narrative: Upon arrival; the weather was overcast and moderate drizzle. During the approach; the drizzle was heavy enough to obscure the front windscreens and make it difficult to see the runway. Using the windshield wipers did not improve the visibility appreciably. The wipers were old and left gaps in which no water was removed from the window. We made a maintenance log entry for the windshield wipers; but the windscreens did not shed water enough without the wipers for clear visibility out the windows. The drizzle dissipated enough prior to landing to allow us to land the aircraft safely. The windows should be checked for permanent rain repellent coating capability as they do not seem to work very well in that respect.

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.