Narrative:

Flying with a propeller to ground clearance of 8 inches, and due to the heavy snow falls in detroit in the past day we requested to land on 3L in order to have the shortest possible taxi to avoid a propeller strike. We requested this from cleveland center on 135.1 and also from detroit approach on 124.25, normally we would have been given 3R due to arrival-sequencing from our departure airport (columbus, oh), but due to our requests we were given vectors for 3L, and subsequently cleared to land on 3L, we made a normal landing and slowed down, and I (sic) made a call to tower asking 'which exits are plowed' and tower replied 'the diagonal' so we proceeded to slow to a slower than normal 'exit speed' due to the icy conditions, and turned towards the 'high speed' taxi turnoff, entered the turnoff and before any of us could react we entered a snow bank on that taxiway and got stuck. We told tower 'we are stuck out here' and they asked if we needed any assistance, to which we replied 'negative'. Then a passenger yelled 'the right engine is on fire' and we then proceeded with the 'engine fire failure on ground checklist.' then we called the tower for crash fire rescue equipment and I went back in the cabin to see if there was a fire since we never got any indication of any trouble on the instrument panel (no fire warning). I then proceeded with an evacuation using the forward airstair only (no emergency exits were used). I made the passengers stand about 100 ft from the airplane and went back to the right engine to verify that there still was no fire, then crash fire rescue equipment arrived and I turned the passengers over to them and my captain and I were taken to our office by the airport officials. We feel this could have been avoided if: 1) the tower did not know the status of the taxiways, but told us that they were plowed even though there was between 16-24 inches of snow on that taxiway. 2) the snow removal at the detroit metropolitan airport is mediocre at best. I flew a week later in january after this mishap, and the snow has still not been completely removed from the taxiways even though it had now snowed since. (I live on a gravel road and that was even cleared faster than dtw). Keep in mind that this was not a surprise snow storm that hit dtw. It was forecast to give up to a ft of snow, and the airport reported that they received 11.5 inches. Our company had 2 other smts get stuck on taxiways that same afternoon, and the mechanics who dug them free called our dispatchers in minneapolis urging them to stop all small transport operations or 'somebody is going to have a propeller strike.' this took place 2 hours before we got stuck. Also one of the smts that got stuck overheard an air carrier large transport exit 3L at Y5 and telling tower 'you better get this taxiway plowed, it is pretty deep out here' to which the tower replied.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER SMT GOT STUCK IN SNOW ON HIGH SPD TAXIWAY AT DTW.

Narrative: FLYING WITH A PROP TO GND CLRNC OF 8 INCHES, AND DUE TO THE HVY SNOW FALLS IN DETROIT IN THE PAST DAY WE REQUESTED TO LAND ON 3L IN ORDER TO HAVE THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TAXI TO AVOID A PROP STRIKE. WE REQUESTED THIS FROM CLEVELAND CENTER ON 135.1 AND ALSO FROM DETROIT APCH ON 124.25, NORMALLY WE WOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN 3R DUE TO ARR-SEQUENCING FROM OUR DEP ARPT (COLUMBUS, OH), BUT DUE TO OUR REQUESTS WE WERE GIVEN VECTORS FOR 3L, AND SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED TO LAND ON 3L, WE MADE A NORMAL LNDG AND SLOWED DOWN, AND I (SIC) MADE A CALL TO TWR ASKING 'WHICH EXITS ARE PLOWED' AND TWR REPLIED 'THE DIAGONAL' SO WE PROCEEDED TO SLOW TO A SLOWER THAN NORMAL 'EXIT SPD' DUE TO THE ICY CONDITIONS, AND TURNED TOWARDS THE 'HIGH SPD' TAXI TURNOFF, ENTERED THE TURNOFF AND BEFORE ANY OF US COULD REACT WE ENTERED A SNOW BANK ON THAT TAXIWAY AND GOT STUCK. WE TOLD TWR 'WE ARE STUCK OUT HERE' AND THEY ASKED IF WE NEEDED ANY ASSISTANCE, TO WHICH WE REPLIED 'NEGATIVE'. THEN A PAX YELLED 'THE R ENG IS ON FIRE' AND WE THEN PROCEEDED WITH THE 'ENG FIRE FAILURE ON GND CHKLIST.' THEN WE CALLED THE TWR FOR CFR AND I WENT BACK IN THE CABIN TO SEE IF THERE WAS A FIRE SINCE WE NEVER GOT ANY INDICATION OF ANY TROUBLE ON THE INST PANEL (NO FIRE WARNING). I THEN PROCEEDED WITH AN EVACUATION USING THE FORWARD AIRSTAIR ONLY (NO EMER EXITS WERE USED). I MADE THE PAXS STAND ABOUT 100 FT FROM THE AIRPLANE AND WENT BACK TO THE R ENG TO VERIFY THAT THERE STILL WAS NO FIRE, THEN CFR ARRIVED AND I TURNED THE PAXS OVER TO THEM AND MY CAPT AND I WERE TAKEN TO OUR OFFICE BY THE ARPT OFFICIALS. WE FEEL THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF: 1) THE TWR DID NOT KNOW THE STATUS OF THE TAXIWAYS, BUT TOLD US THAT THEY WERE PLOWED EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS BTWN 16-24 INCHES OF SNOW ON THAT TAXIWAY. 2) THE SNOW REMOVAL AT THE DETROIT METRO ARPT IS MEDIOCRE AT BEST. I FLEW A WEEK LATER IN JANUARY AFTER THIS MISHAP, AND THE SNOW HAS STILL NOT BEEN COMPLETELY REMOVED FROM THE TAXIWAYS EVEN THOUGH IT HAD NOW SNOWED SINCE. (I LIVE ON A GRAVEL ROAD AND THAT WAS EVEN CLRED FASTER THAN DTW). KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS WAS NOT A SURPRISE SNOW STORM THAT HIT DTW. IT WAS FORECAST TO GIVE UP TO A FT OF SNOW, AND THE ARPT RPTED THAT THEY RECEIVED 11.5 INCHES. OUR COMPANY HAD 2 OTHER SMTS GET STUCK ON TAXIWAYS THAT SAME AFTERNOON, AND THE MECHS WHO DUG THEM FREE CALLED OUR DISPATCHERS IN MINNEAPOLIS URGING THEM TO STOP ALL SMT OPS OR 'SOMEBODY IS GOING TO HAVE A PROP STRIKE.' THIS TOOK PLACE 2 HOURS BEFORE WE GOT STUCK. ALSO ONE OF THE SMTS THAT GOT STUCK OVERHEARD AN ACR LGT EXIT 3L AT Y5 AND TELLING TWR 'YOU BETTER GET THIS TAXIWAY PLOWED, IT IS PRETTY DEEP OUT HERE' TO WHICH THE TWR REPLIED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.