Continental Airlines Newark Chief Pilot in De-Icing Controversy
And you thought your operation is screwed up.....
*CAL** Safety Update*
February 23, 2007
On Feb. 9, 2007, the EWR Chief Pilot’s Office distributed the following
B-737 Update:
I woke up Wednesday morning and departed for work. I found my car under
an unexpected covering of loose powdery snow. I brushed it off the
windshield, and departed. As I accelerated up the street, the snow
readily blew off my car as I expected it would. When I arrived in EWR
that morning, it was apparent to me that we were in the midst of a
full-blown de-icing operation with our morning bank of planes, for
exactly the same conditions as I found with my car that morning: Loose
powdery snow covering the surfaces of the aircraft. Outside temperature
was well below freezing. Was de-icing warranted that morning? It’s my
opinion it was NOT. Flight Manual Sec 3, page 349 states, “The check to
determine the need for de-icing is an examination of critical aircraft
surfaces to ensure they are free of any ADHERING ice, snow, slush, or
frost. It was more than my opinion that morning that the loose powdery
snow would have departed almost immediately during the takeoff roll; I
actually did an inspection of an aircraft parked at the gate, to
determine actual conditions. Flight Ops Manual Sec 9, cites FAR 121.629,
which says the same about adhering contamination. Yet there was a
line-up of at least 25-30 aircraft waiting to be de-iced, and more to
follow. It was my opinion (and it appears that I am full of opinions
today) that this was a herd mentality. One aircraft asks to be de-iced,
and everyone else follows suit. In light of my continued message
regarding safety, this may seem contradictory. Believe me, I am in no
way suggesting that you compromise safety. Instead, I am suggesting that
we understand the conditions, and exercise common sense. This was an
opportunity to not only be safe, but to be efficient as well. Remember
that Professional statement I mentioned above. It was suggested by
someone that he would not take the chance that a lawyer may be seated in
row 13, as he was approaching the runway for takeoff with snow on his
wings. My answer to that is to make an announcement to the passengers
stating your intentions. Again, Safety and Common Sense prevails, but
knowledge is power.
**The CAL ALPA Central Air Safety Committee whole heartedly disagrees
with this bulletin. To compare an automobile with a transport category
aircraft is ludicrous at best. The problems with this bulletin are too
numerous to mention but we’ll cite just a few. **
** **
**How would the pilot know what conditions were encountered during the
arriving flight? Did the aircraft fly through icing conditions during
the arrival which are now masked by the snow covering? **
** **
**Exactly HOW does one determine that all the critical surfaces are free
from adhering contamination when the aircraft is covered with snow? How
does the pilot know that ice is not adhering to the tail surfaces? The
wings? The top of the fuselage? What kind of inspection would need to be
accomplished to make this determination?**
** **
**We realize that this bulletin has raised many concerns among the pilot
group. We are working to get this corrected as soon as possible. You are
the professionals and your decision to de-ice should not be subject to
this type of shortsighted second guessing. Safety considerations should
always trump concerns of pure airline economics. In the end, taking
safety seriously will best serve our passengers, crewmembers and the
future viability of the airline.**
** **
**Capt. John M. Buchan**
**CAL**** ALPA Central Air Safety**