Narrative:

During boarding it was snowing outside and the aircraft needed to be de-iced prior to departure. During the taxi to the de-ice pad the snow stopped and blue sky was observed. Unfortunately the taxiways were covered in snow creating degraded conditions for taxiing and stopping. After de-icing we contacted ground control who instructed us to taxi to the runway via a back-taxi and clear at M3 taxiway. As we approached M3 we confirmed the exit with ground control. We were instructed to exit the runway at M3 and continue south. As we approached the exit I noticed that snow still covered the M3 exit and remembered that taxiway M was also covered in snow but it had been used by multiple aircraft. M3 had not been used so I exercised extreme caution and slowed down to a very slow taxi speed. As I attempted to turn from M3 to southbound on M the aircraft began to slide and continued in the original direction. With little weight on the nose wheel steering was ineffective and the slippery condition of the M3 taxiway made it difficult to stop. I ceased trying to turn and continued applying the brakes. The aircraft continued to slide until the tires were able to regain grip on the roughed up surface of the M taxiway. The aircraft nose came to a stop near the far edge of the taxiway. I was then able to turn the aircraft and continued southbound on M taxiway. The aircraft did not leave the taxiway surface. Ground control watched the event and asked about the condition of the taxiways in which we replied that the M3 taxiway braking was 'nil.' ground then responded that he wouldn't be using that turn off anymore. The remainder of the taxi and flight were uneventful.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CRJ900 Captain experiences slippery conditions after a snow storm; nearly resulting in a taxiway excursion.

Narrative: During boarding it was snowing outside and the aircraft needed to be de-iced prior to departure. During the taxi to the de-ice pad the snow stopped and blue sky was observed. Unfortunately the taxiways were covered in snow creating degraded conditions for taxiing and stopping. After de-icing we contacted Ground Control who instructed us to taxi to the runway via a back-taxi and clear at M3 Taxiway. As we approached M3 we confirmed the exit with Ground Control. We were instructed to exit the runway at M3 and continue south. As we approached the exit I noticed that snow still covered the M3 exit and remembered that taxiway M was also covered in snow but it had been used by multiple aircraft. M3 had not been used so I exercised extreme caution and slowed down to a very slow taxi speed. As I attempted to turn from M3 to southbound on M the aircraft began to slide and continued in the original direction. With little weight on the nose wheel steering was ineffective and the slippery condition of the M3 Taxiway made it difficult to stop. I ceased trying to turn and continued applying the brakes. The aircraft continued to slide until the tires were able to regain grip on the roughed up surface of the M Taxiway. The aircraft nose came to a stop near the far edge of the taxiway. I was then able to turn the aircraft and continued southbound on M Taxiway. The aircraft did not leave the taxiway surface. Ground Control watched the event and asked about the condition of the taxiways in which we replied that the M3 Taxiway braking was 'nil.' Ground then responded that he wouldn't be using that turn off anymore. The remainder of the taxi and flight were uneventful.

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.