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B737NG flight crew member reported he had difficulty with poor visibility through the windshield in heavy rain during an approach. He reported he was concerned with his company's decision to not reapply rain repellent coating to the windshields.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1427917 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201702 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737 Next Generation Undifferentiated |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Landing |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Other / Unknown |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe |
Narrative:
I would like to echo the concerns voiced in [previous reports] concerning visibility through the windshield in moderate to heavy rain. I had a virtually identical event landing at ZZZ. In retrospect; I should have filed an as soon as possible report then. In rainy conditions the view out of the windshield distorts your depth perception and creates a major safety hazard in the landing phase of flight. I understand that the crew has the ability to call for a go-around at any time; but if the company was reconditioning windshields as discussed in the [previous reports]; crews would not be unnecessarily put 'in the yellow'. Any cost savings realized from not reapplying the hydrophobic coating at regular intervals will be quickly lost when a crew puts an aircraft off the end of a wet runway. In my previous life; our windshields were regularly treated; and I can assure you it makes a significant difference.poor visibility resulting from lack of rain repellent. I believe windshields [should be maintained] to function the way they did when boeing delivered the airplanes.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737NG flight crew member reported he had difficulty with poor visibility through the windshield in heavy rain during an approach. He reported he was concerned with his company's decision to not reapply rain repellent coating to the windshields.
Narrative: I would like to echo the concerns voiced in [previous reports] concerning visibility through the windshield in moderate to heavy rain. I had a virtually identical event landing at ZZZ. In retrospect; I should have filed an ASAP report then. In rainy conditions the view out of the windshield distorts your depth perception and creates a major safety hazard in the landing phase of flight. I understand that the crew has the ability to call for a go-around at any time; but if the company was reconditioning windshields as discussed in the [previous reports]; crews would not be unnecessarily put 'in the yellow'. Any cost savings realized from not reapplying the hydrophobic coating at regular intervals will be quickly lost when a crew puts an aircraft off the end of a wet runway. In my previous life; our windshields were regularly treated; and I can assure you it makes a significant difference.Poor visibility resulting from lack of rain repellent. I believe windshields [should be maintained] to function the way they did when Boeing delivered the airplanes.
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.