Narrative:

At gate in rdu; the first officer completed a thorough preflight. He stated to me we had snow and ice adhering to the aircraft. It was snowing at the time. We coordinated de-icing with rdu ops and the de-ice manager. We pushed back and after a lengthy ground taxi; approximately 1:30 minutes; we entered the staged de-ice pad. Communications with 'iceman' was established and directed the de-ice crew to de-ice entire aircraft with type 1; followed by type 4. It was light snow during de-icing. After de-icing was completed; we were told the aircraft was clear and free of all snow and ice; the type fluid used and the hold over time. We reconfigured the aircraft; completed all cockpit checklist; visually checked from our vantage point that no ice or snow adhering to the aircraft and proceeded to the departure end of 5L. Shortly thereafter; we were cleared for takeoff; performed a 30 second run up on the runway and had an uneventful takeoff. We had light rime ice on departure for a few minutes. Weather was clear above 10;000 feet. After gate arrival in lax; I had noticed the mechanic doing a post flight. I saw that we had ice adhering to the struts on both gear. After further observation; I realized the ice was extensive. It was melting quickly; but still hard packed so the ice could not be removed by the mechanic. I was told by the mechanic they would inspect the strut after the ice melted. I/we were to believe the aircraft was clear and free from all snow and ice as per the de-icer stating such and our visual inspection. The area that had the ice was not visible from the cockpit. The de-icer in rdu was in a truck with the enclosed cabin. I am not sure if the inspection of the post de-icing was performed from the truck or from a walk around. The ice on the struts would/could be easily missed if not inspected from the ground. The ramp was well lit; but nonetheless it was night time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier flight crew reported poor de-icing procedures led to operating with ice still remaining on the aircraft.

Narrative: At gate in RDU; the First officer completed a thorough preflight. He stated to me we had snow and ice adhering to the aircraft. It was snowing at the time. We coordinated de-Icing with RDU ops and the De-Ice manager. We pushed back and after a lengthy ground taxi; approximately 1:30 minutes; we entered the staged De-Ice pad. Communications with 'IceMan' was established and directed the De-Ice crew to De-Ice entire aircraft with Type 1; followed by Type 4. It was light snow during De-Icing. After De-Icing was completed; we were told the Aircraft was clear and free of all snow and ice; the type fluid used and the hold over time. We reconfigured the aircraft; completed all cockpit checklist; visually checked from our vantage point that no ice or snow adhering to the aircraft and proceeded to the departure end of 5L. Shortly thereafter; we were cleared for takeoff; performed a 30 second run up on the runway and had an uneventful takeoff. We had light rime Ice on departure for a few minutes. Weather was clear above 10;000 feet. After gate arrival in LAX; I had noticed the Mechanic doing a post flight. I saw that we had ice adhering to the struts on both gear. After further observation; I realized the ice was extensive. It was melting quickly; but still hard packed so the ice could not be removed by the mechanic. I was told by the mechanic they would inspect the strut after the ice melted. I/we were to believe the aircraft was clear and free from all Snow and Ice as per the De-Icer stating such and our visual inspection. The area that had the ice was not visible from the cockpit. The De-Icer in RDU was in a truck with the enclosed cabin. I am not sure if the inspection of the post De-Icing was performed from the truck or from a walk around. The Ice on the struts would/could be easily missed if not inspected from the ground. The ramp was well lit; but nonetheless it was night time.

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.