Large transport cargo aircraft returns to gate after sliding on runway. Braking action reported poor...

Attributes
ACN	236452
Time
Date	199302
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : cle
State Reference	OH
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 90 flight time total : 4000 flight time type : 1000
ASRS Report	236452
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Airport
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Airport	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

I have written previous reports reference cle airport. The runway conditions were substandard for the airport even to be open due to snow. Economics drive us to push conditions when we operate to the limits. The airport should have been closed. We nearly slid off a runway during an extremely slow taxi. I am not a test pilot. Airport operations should give a more honest report of conditions, and take safe, appropriate action. I feel the airport operations got behind snow removal. Rather than closing airport and upgrading conditions the braking was called 'poor' rather than 'nil.' reports by an aircraft are few and far between during night freight operations. We must rely on ground vehicle reports. They see the runway and txwys from different perspectives. Economics, I feel, forces them to call conditions better than they actually are. I must stress in closing we have no one to follow in order to say 'they made it.' when a crew makes the decision to return to the gate due to poor conditions it puts extreme pressure on them when the airport operations calls taxiway and runway conditions fair to poor. This dishonest assessment makes things unpleasant when making the tough/safe judgement call we are paid for.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LGT CARGO ACFT RETURNS TO GATE AFTER SLIDING ON RWY. BRAKING ACTION RPTED POOR.

Narrative: I HAVE WRITTEN PREVIOUS RPTS REF CLE ARPT. THE RWY CONDITIONS WERE SUBSTANDARD FOR THE ARPT EVEN TO BE OPEN DUE TO SNOW. ECONOMICS DRIVE US TO PUSH CONDITIONS WHEN WE OPERATE TO THE LIMITS. THE ARPT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSED. WE NEARLY SLID OFF A RWY DURING AN EXTREMELY SLOW TAXI. I AM NOT A TEST PLT. ARPT OPS SHOULD GIVE A MORE HONEST RPT OF CONDITIONS, AND TAKE SAFE, APPROPRIATE ACTION. I FEEL THE ARPT OPS GOT BEHIND SNOW REMOVAL. RATHER THAN CLOSING ARPT AND UPGRADING CONDITIONS THE BRAKING WAS CALLED 'POOR' RATHER THAN 'NIL.' RPTS BY AN ACFT ARE FEW AND FAR BTWN DURING NIGHT FREIGHT OPS. WE MUST RELY ON GND VEHICLE RPTS. THEY SEE THE RWY AND TXWYS FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. ECONOMICS, I FEEL, FORCES THEM TO CALL CONDITIONS BETTER THAN THEY ACTUALLY ARE. I MUST STRESS IN CLOSING WE HAVE NO ONE TO FOLLOW IN ORDER TO SAY 'THEY MADE IT.' WHEN A CREW MAKES THE DECISION TO RETURN TO THE GATE DUE TO POOR CONDITIONS IT PUTS EXTREME PRESSURE ON THEM WHEN THE ARPT OPS CALLS TXWY AND RWY CONDITIONS FAIR TO POOR. THIS DISHONEST ASSESSMENT MAKES THINGS UNPLEASANT WHEN MAKING THE TOUGH/SAFE JUDGEMENT CALL WE ARE PAID FOR.

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.