Narrative:

At approximately XX00 hours, flight control called to advise me a pilot refused to fly an aircraft to mhk because the propeller deice was inoperative (this pilot had refused to fly aircraft in the past to hassle the company). I asked flight control what the WX was at mhk and they told me 3000 scattered 5000 broken 12 mi with a temperature of 34 degrees. I checked the forecast which was calling for possible snow, but the surrounding cities of ict, emp, and foe were excellent VFR. Based on this information. I assumed the national WX service had missed the forecast and I could take the flight to mhk because he encountered ice at 9000 ft from dsm to mci. (Again, I felt he was trying to screw with the company). I told him I wasn't going to dms at 9000 ft but rather stay below the clouds in VFR conditions. I then asked the first officer if she had any problem taking the trip to mhk down low and she replied she didn't. I then told the former captain I couldn't make him take the flight VFR, however, I didn't have a problem with it and we were going. The en route WX was VFR, however, forward visibility was limited due to a combination of haze and the setting sun. Center came back and reissued us new WX as 1200 broken 1 1/2 mi light snow. At no time during the flight had we ever lost sight of the ground or the sky above. After landing and loading and unloading bags it began to snow. At that time I notified flight control that we could not return to mci due to snow. They asked if I could wait it out until the snow quit but I replied I didn't think that would help. They then asked me to ferry it to ict and I said I needed a ferry permit. Maintenance control got on the phone and issued a ferry permit to proceed to ict. When we went back outside, it had stopped snowing and we could see the moon dimly through a high overcast. We proceeded to brush the snow from the aircraft for the flight to ict. It was then we noticed a very thin trace of ice on the leading edges of the wings, we then departed for ict in VFR conditions at 4000 ft. Approximately 20 mi south of mhk we encountered some clouds and ice so we climbed to 6000 ft and VFR conditions. We remained in VFR conditions until turning base for the ILS 1L approach into ict. Total time in the clouds and precipitation was 5 mins. Arriving at the gate we observed no ice on the airframe. I feel the problem arose from management pressure to complete all flts with little regard for pilot judgemental decisions. It was compounded by union activities to deliberately disrupt flts and hurt the company name. I took the flight to mhk and ict for several reasons. If I hadn't taken the flight and the WX remained VFR, I would have been chastised for not seeing it was a union trick to disrupt service. The captain I took the flight from had refused aircraft several times in the past solely for the purpose of disrupting the flight schedule. This captain is not liked or respected by upper management. If I took the flight and was successful, I would be looked well upon by upper management. Based on upper management's statements that 'any aircraft is legal to fly with a ferry permit as long as you have a permit and balls big enough to fly it.' our pom states that maintenance control has final authority in the issuance of a ferry permit. Therefore, if it wasn't legal, they wouldn't have issued it. Far 91-527 allowed the flight to ict based on the mhk WX and ict WX at departure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPT ON ACFT STATUS AND AIRLINE MGMNT POLICY AND HARASSMENT IN TAKING ACFT WITH INOP EQUIP.

Narrative: AT APPROX XX00 HRS, FLT CTL CALLED TO ADVISE ME A PLT REFUSED TO FLY AN ACFT TO MHK BECAUSE THE PROP DEICE WAS INOP (THIS PLT HAD REFUSED TO FLY ACFT IN THE PAST TO HASSLE THE COMPANY). I ASKED FLT CTL WHAT THE WX WAS AT MHK AND THEY TOLD ME 3000 SCATTERED 5000 BROKEN 12 MI WITH A TEMP OF 34 DEGS. I CHKED THE FORECAST WHICH WAS CALLING FOR POSSIBLE SNOW, BUT THE SURROUNDING CITIES OF ICT, EMP, AND FOE WERE EXCELLENT VFR. BASED ON THIS INFO. I ASSUMED THE NATIONAL WX SVC HAD MISSED THE FORECAST AND I COULD TAKE THE FLT TO MHK BECAUSE HE ENCOUNTERED ICE AT 9000 FT FROM DSM TO MCI. (AGAIN, I FELT HE WAS TRYING TO SCREW WITH THE COMPANY). I TOLD HIM I WASN'T GOING TO DMS AT 9000 FT BUT RATHER STAY BELOW THE CLOUDS IN VFR CONDITIONS. I THEN ASKED THE FO IF SHE HAD ANY PROB TAKING THE TRIP TO MHK DOWN LOW AND SHE REPLIED SHE DIDN'T. I THEN TOLD THE FORMER CAPT I COULDN'T MAKE HIM TAKE THE FLT VFR, HOWEVER, I DIDN'T HAVE A PROB WITH IT AND WE WERE GOING. THE ENRTE WX WAS VFR, HOWEVER, FORWARD VISIBILITY WAS LIMITED DUE TO A COMBINATION OF HAZE AND THE SETTING SUN. CTR CAME BACK AND REISSUED US NEW WX AS 1200 BROKEN 1 1/2 MI LIGHT SNOW. AT NO TIME DURING THE FLT HAD WE EVER LOST SIGHT OF THE GND OR THE SKY ABOVE. AFTER LNDG AND LOADING AND UNLOADING BAGS IT BEGAN TO SNOW. AT THAT TIME I NOTIFIED FLT CTL THAT WE COULD NOT RETURN TO MCI DUE TO SNOW. THEY ASKED IF I COULD WAIT IT OUT UNTIL THE SNOW QUIT BUT I REPLIED I DIDN'T THINK THAT WOULD HELP. THEY THEN ASKED ME TO FERRY IT TO ICT AND I SAID I NEEDED A FERRY PERMIT. MAINT CTL GOT ON THE PHONE AND ISSUED A FERRY PERMIT TO PROCEED TO ICT. WHEN WE WENT BACK OUTSIDE, IT HAD STOPPED SNOWING AND WE COULD SEE THE MOON DIMLY THROUGH A HIGH OVCST. WE PROCEEDED TO BRUSH THE SNOW FROM THE ACFT FOR THE FLT TO ICT. IT WAS THEN WE NOTICED A VERY THIN TRACE OF ICE ON THE LEADING EDGES OF THE WINGS, WE THEN DEPARTED FOR ICT IN VFR CONDITIONS AT 4000 FT. APPROX 20 MI S OF MHK WE ENCOUNTERED SOME CLOUDS AND ICE SO WE CLBED TO 6000 FT AND VFR CONDITIONS. WE REMAINED IN VFR CONDITIONS UNTIL TURNING BASE FOR THE ILS 1L APCH INTO ICT. TOTAL TIME IN THE CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION WAS 5 MINS. ARRIVING AT THE GATE WE OBSERVED NO ICE ON THE AIRFRAME. I FEEL THE PROB AROSE FROM MGMNT PRESSURE TO COMPLETE ALL FLTS WITH LITTLE REGARD FOR PLT JUDGEMENTAL DECISIONS. IT WAS COMPOUNDED BY UNION ACTIVITIES TO DELIBERATELY DISRUPT FLTS AND HURT THE COMPANY NAME. I TOOK THE FLT TO MHK AND ICT FOR SEVERAL REASONS. IF I HADN'T TAKEN THE FLT AND THE WX REMAINED VFR, I WOULD HAVE BEEN CHASTISED FOR NOT SEEING IT WAS A UNION TRICK TO DISRUPT SVC. THE CAPT I TOOK THE FLT FROM HAD REFUSED ACFT SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DISRUPTING THE FLT SCHEDULE. THIS CAPT IS NOT LIKED OR RESPECTED BY UPPER MGMNT. IF I TOOK THE FLT AND WAS SUCCESSFUL, I WOULD BE LOOKED WELL UPON BY UPPER MGMNT. BASED ON UPPER MGMNT'S STATEMENTS THAT 'ANY ACFT IS LEGAL TO FLY WITH A FERRY PERMIT AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A PERMIT AND BALLS BIG ENOUGH TO FLY IT.' OUR POM STATES THAT MAINT CTL HAS FINAL AUTHORITY IN THE ISSUANCE OF A FERRY PERMIT. THEREFORE, IF IT WASN'T LEGAL, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ISSUED IT. FAR 91-527 ALLOWED THE FLT TO ICT BASED ON THE MHK WX AND ICT WX AT DEP.

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.