Narrative:

For as long as I've have been flying into sbn airport one common theme is the ramp being always contaminated with snow and ice. I don't [know] if they ever remove it. We always enter on the west entry to the ramp and make a 45 degree left turn once we get close enough to the building and bring the aircraft to a stop. It's a little downhill on the first portion right before you make the turn. During that turn the aircraft started sliding uncontrollably and was unresponsive to braking. Although the aircraft was turning the aft end was doing its own thing and would not stop. The slick spot was isolated to one area. We were able to control the aircraft after a short slide. Speed was minimal. The rest of the ramp was ok. We decided to request the airport authority lay sand down on the portion of the ramp we would exit which is different the entry. It was apparent after outside inspection of the ramp that the very slick portion was isolated. On exit we had no issues.lack of snow and ice removal of the ramp. Snow removal. De-ice application and sand disbursement. This ramp is always terrible during the winter. After talking to the mechanic they don't even have chains for a tug. Which essentially leaves them without a tug during this time of year. They are not equipped to handle winter ops properly. It's a very tight turn into the parking spot. During months with warm temps its ok but this time of year when it is icy it is a disaster waiting to happen. We need to get the airport authority to plow and sand this small ramp frequently or start parking the aircraft further away from the building if possible when the ramp is slick.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier Captain reported losing directional control on ice-covered ramp in SBN airport. Reporter stated the ramp was often not properly cleared of snow and ice.

Narrative: For as long as I've have been flying into SBN airport one common theme is the ramp being always contaminated with snow and ice. I don't [know] if they ever remove it. We always enter on the west entry to the ramp and make a 45 degree left turn once we get close enough to the building and bring the aircraft to a stop. It's a little downhill on the first portion right before you make the turn. During that turn the aircraft started sliding uncontrollably and was unresponsive to braking. Although the aircraft was turning the aft end was doing its own thing and would not stop. The slick spot was isolated to one area. We were able to control the aircraft after a short slide. Speed was minimal. The rest of the ramp was ok. We decided to request the Airport Authority lay sand down on the portion of the ramp we would exit which is different the entry. It was apparent after outside inspection of the ramp that the very slick portion was isolated. On exit we had no issues.Lack of snow and ice removal of the ramp. Snow removal. De-ice application and Sand disbursement. This ramp is always terrible during the winter. After talking to the mechanic they don't even have chains for a tug. Which essentially leaves them without a tug during this time of year. They are not equipped to handle winter ops properly. It's a very tight turn into the parking spot. During months with warm temps its ok but this time of year when it is icy it is a disaster waiting to happen. We need to get the airport authority to plow and sand this small ramp frequently or start parking the aircraft further away from the building if possible when the ramp is slick.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.