Narrative:

I landed on runway 31R. Turning off on taxiway D5, glare ice was encountered and the aircraft slid off the northwest side of D5. The ground was hard-frozen and smooth, thus there was no damage to the aircraft or airport facilities, and no injuries to passenger or crew. The airport was closed approximately 5 hours while ground vehicles tried unsuccessfully to move the aircraft on the slippery surface. Approaching the dsm area, the ATIS was copied as '600 overcast, visibility 3 in light freezing rain and fog. Temperature 30 degrees, wind 050/12. Approach is use: ILS runway 31R, braking action fair/poor.' the aircraft landing ahead reported 'braking action fair.' after a normal approach and landing, I judged the braking action as fair on runway 31R and slowed for a careful turnoff at D5, 7500 ft down the 9000 ft runway. After the nose had turned about 60 degrees off the runway heading onto D5, the nosewheel began to scuff sideways on glare ice, and simultaneously main gear braking action became non-existent. Reverse thrust was ineffective since the aircraft was sliding sideways while slowly wxcocking into the wind. Information the flight crew had to work with was too untimely. The good visibility and ceiling did not suggest a build- up of glare ice had occurred. The braking of 'fair/poor' and aircraft report of 'fair' suggests caution is advised but not that the runway is the only usable surface on the airport. The WX document showed taxiway D5 as having the best braking action (poor) of all other txwys listed. On rollout, the tower instructed 'turn right at D5.' no warning was given that the txwys beyond D4 to the northwest were covered with 1/4 inch of smooth glaze ice and had not been treated. In the dusk there was not light enough to see the difference in surface between the runway center (braking action fair) and the txwys (braking action nil). Under worsening conditions obvious to the airport authorities, a maximum effort should have been made to inform arriving aircraft that braking action had deteriorated due to continuing freezing precipitation, and that no action had been taken to treat most operating surfaces other than the runway. Arriving aircraft depend entirely on timely reports from the authorities on the airport for information concerning operational dangers that have the characteristic of changing dramatically with time. I believe this incident was caused by failure of the airport authorities to warn the tower that conditions had rendered certain areas of the airport unusable. The tower actually directed the aircraft to use a taxiway with 0 traction. In view of the obvious freezing rain conditions, frequent field inspections should have been made and the results passed on to local controllers. Therefore, aircraft making an approach to dsm could have been made aware by tower or approach control that some txwys were unusable. 2 other aircraft have had similar incidents within the past month at dsm. This suggests to me a failure in properly monitoring and reporting hazardous conditions at dsm.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE EXITING LNDG RWY, MLG SLID OFF THE TXWY CLOSING THE ARPT FOR 5 HRS.

Narrative: I LANDED ON RWY 31R. TURNING OFF ON TXWY D5, GLARE ICE WAS ENCOUNTERED AND THE ACFT SLID OFF THE NW SIDE OF D5. THE GND WAS HARD-FROZEN AND SMOOTH, THUS THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR ARPT FACILITIES, AND NO INJURIES TO PAX OR CREW. THE ARPT WAS CLOSED APPROX 5 HRS WHILE GND VEHICLES TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO MOVE THE ACFT ON THE SLIPPERY SURFACE. APCHING THE DSM AREA, THE ATIS WAS COPIED AS '600 OVCST, VISIBILITY 3 IN LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND FOG. TEMP 30 DEGS, WIND 050/12. APCH IS USE: ILS RWY 31R, BRAKING ACTION FAIR/POOR.' THE ACFT LNDG AHEAD RPTED 'BRAKING ACTION FAIR.' AFTER A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG, I JUDGED THE BRAKING ACTION AS FAIR ON RWY 31R AND SLOWED FOR A CAREFUL TURNOFF AT D5, 7500 FT DOWN THE 9000 FT RWY. AFTER THE NOSE HAD TURNED ABOUT 60 DEGS OFF THE RWY HDG ONTO D5, THE NOSEWHEEL BEGAN TO SCUFF SIDEWAYS ON GLARE ICE, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY MAIN GEAR BRAKING ACTION BECAME NON-EXISTENT. REVERSE THRUST WAS INEFFECTIVE SINCE THE ACFT WAS SLIDING SIDEWAYS WHILE SLOWLY WXCOCKING INTO THE WIND. INFO THE FLC HAD TO WORK WITH WAS TOO UNTIMELY. THE GOOD VISIBILITY AND CEILING DID NOT SUGGEST A BUILD- UP OF GLARE ICE HAD OCCURRED. THE BRAKING OF 'FAIR/POOR' AND ACFT RPT OF 'FAIR' SUGGESTS CAUTION IS ADVISED BUT NOT THAT THE RWY IS THE ONLY USABLE SURFACE ON THE ARPT. THE WX DOCUMENT SHOWED TXWY D5 AS HAVING THE BEST BRAKING ACTION (POOR) OF ALL OTHER TXWYS LISTED. ON ROLLOUT, THE TWR INSTRUCTED 'TURN R AT D5.' NO WARNING WAS GIVEN THAT THE TXWYS BEYOND D4 TO THE NW WERE COVERED WITH 1/4 INCH OF SMOOTH GLAZE ICE AND HAD NOT BEEN TREATED. IN THE DUSK THERE WAS NOT LIGHT ENOUGH TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN SURFACE BTWN THE RWY CTR (BRAKING ACTION FAIR) AND THE TXWYS (BRAKING ACTION NIL). UNDER WORSENING CONDITIONS OBVIOUS TO THE ARPT AUTHORITIES, A MAX EFFORT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE TO INFORM ARRIVING ACFT THAT BRAKING ACTION HAD DETERIORATED DUE TO CONTINUING FREEZING PRECIPITATION, AND THAT NO ACTION HAD BEEN TAKEN TO TREAT MOST OPERATING SURFACES OTHER THAN THE RWY. ARRIVING ACFT DEPEND ENTIRELY ON TIMELY RPTS FROM THE AUTHORITIES ON THE ARPT FOR INFO CONCERNING OPERATIONAL DANGERS THAT HAVE THE CHARACTERISTIC OF CHANGING DRAMATICALLY WITH TIME. I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY FAILURE OF THE ARPT AUTHORITIES TO WARN THE TWR THAT CONDITIONS HAD RENDERED CERTAIN AREAS OF THE ARPT UNUSABLE. THE TWR ACTUALLY DIRECTED THE ACFT TO USE A TXWY WITH 0 TRACTION. IN VIEW OF THE OBVIOUS FREEZING RAIN CONDITIONS, FREQUENT FIELD INSPECTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AND THE RESULTS PASSED ON TO LCL CTLRS. THEREFORE, ACFT MAKING AN APCH TO DSM COULD HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE BY TWR OR APCH CTL THAT SOME TXWYS WERE UNUSABLE. 2 OTHER ACFT HAVE HAD SIMILAR INCIDENTS WITHIN THE PAST MONTH AT DSM. THIS SUGGESTS TO ME A FAILURE IN PROPERLY MONITORING AND RPTING HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS AT DSM.

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.