Narrative:

On descent, no ATIS was available, but center advised WX was 'X 7 broken 11 overcast 1 1/2 s-f, wind calm, altimeter 29.64, runway 31 RVR 20 V 35, braking poor.' during vectors for approach, dsm approach control reported runway 31 RVR 50. We continued and were cleared for the ILS runway 31R approach. When tower cleared us to land, they advised that a dc-9 ahead of us reported braking as poor, that most aircraft had turned off the runway at D5, approximately 7000 ft down the wy and that if we couldn't make that one, to continue to the end. The approach was uneventful, we acquired the runway at about 500 ft. Right after the 100 ft callout, I disengaged the autoplt and landed. Landing was normal. Spoilers extended automatically, and I put #1, #2, and #3 into reverse idle. As soon as the nose gear touched down, I applied maximum reverse on #2 and #3, reverse idle on #1, since #4 was inoperative. I also applied maximum braking, since the runway was slippery. Deceleration was very slow, but due to the conditions, I did not want to use more reverse on #1 and possibly compound my control problem. There was no way we were going to turn off on D5, but shortly after passing it, the first officer called 50 KTS, and feeling we were slowing pretty well at this point, I started to ease off on the amx reverse, keeping maximum braking. Immediately I saw that the brakes still weren't slowing us down enough, and put the reversers back to maximum. (I never had taken them totally out of reverse.) I tried to turn off at the end, but the plane did not want to turn. I felt the nose gear skid, and took out some of the input, but it didn't seem to make any difference. When it became obvious that we would not make the turn and would go off the pavement, I centered the nosewheel to minimize any damage to it and the strut. We stopped with the main gear still (but barely) on the pavement, nosewheel in the dirt, at about a 45 degree angle to the runway. It was a gentle stop, not locking inertia reels or dislodging anything in the cockpit. As soon as we determined that we were ok, we called tower, told them that we were probably blocking the runway, and couldn't get out on our own. ACARS showed us down at XA20Z. It took some time for company to get a tug out to us. Meanwhile, an airport snowplow tried to clear a path in front of us for the tug to push from. When the tug arrived, it got stuck as soon as it left the paved surface. The snowplow tried to push it, and it got stuck. Another plow managed to tow both of them back onto the runway. It was decided to tow us backwards onto the taxiway using cables around the main landing gear, then hook up the tug and tow us to the ramp. We had kept #3 engine running, and had to restart #2 engine and run them at 25 percent all the way to the ramp, because the tug kept spinning its wheels otherwise. We finally blocked in at XC44Z. The airport vehicle reported a tapley meter reading of 23-27 (poor) at XC00Z, and said there was rubber on the runway and suspected we had a blown tire. Inspection proved it to be badly scrubbed, but not blown. While changing #5 tire, maintenance found that #5 brake was not releasing with transducer spinup. This would have contributed to our stopping problem since both left aft wheels could have been locked up during most of the landing. It might also have been a factor in our difficulty in turning to the right at the end of the runway if they were still locked. Part of my habit pattern is to press-to-test the anti-skid to be armed, so I'm positive that the cockpit indications were that we had good anti-skid. They replaced the aft anti-skid valve. They also re-safetied #4 reverser, since at some point in the landing I must have tried to get it into reverse and broke the safety wire. I don't recall doing it. The FAA met us at the ramp, checked our certificates and the logbook, and departed, indicating that they did not feel there was any need for an investigation. I spoke with FAA #1 and FAA #2 and they said that they were not considering any action, and that if the crew felt up to it that we could continue with the scheduled flight (same aircraft) to phl. We were unable to do thatdue to running out of crew duty time before maintenance got the anti-skid repaired.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT RAN OFF THE END OF A SNOW COVERED RWY.

Narrative: ON DSCNT, NO ATIS WAS AVAILABLE, BUT CTR ADVISED WX WAS 'X 7 BROKEN 11 OVCST 1 1/2 S-F, WIND CALM, ALTIMETER 29.64, RWY 31 RVR 20 V 35, BRAKING POOR.' DURING VECTORS FOR APCH, DSM APCH CTL RPTED RWY 31 RVR 50. WE CONTINUED AND WERE CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 31R APCH. WHEN TWR CLRED US TO LAND, THEY ADVISED THAT A DC-9 AHEAD OF US RPTED BRAKING AS POOR, THAT MOST ACFT HAD TURNED OFF THE RWY AT D5, APPROX 7000 FT DOWN THE WY AND THAT IF WE COULDN'T MAKE THAT ONE, TO CONTINUE TO THE END. THE APCH WAS UNEVENTFUL, WE ACQUIRED THE RWY AT ABOUT 500 FT. RIGHT AFTER THE 100 FT CALLOUT, I DISENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AND LANDED. LNDG WAS NORMAL. SPOILERS EXTENDED AUTOMATICALLY, AND I PUT #1, #2, AND #3 INTO REVERSE IDLE. AS SOON AS THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN, I APPLIED MAX REVERSE ON #2 AND #3, REVERSE IDLE ON #1, SINCE #4 WAS INOP. I ALSO APPLIED MAX BRAKING, SINCE THE RWY WAS SLIPPERY. DECELERATION WAS VERY SLOW, BUT DUE TO THE CONDITIONS, I DID NOT WANT TO USE MORE REVERSE ON #1 AND POSSIBLY COMPOUND MY CTL PROB. THERE WAS NO WAY WE WERE GOING TO TURN OFF ON D5, BUT SHORTLY AFTER PASSING IT, THE FO CALLED 50 KTS, AND FEELING WE WERE SLOWING PRETTY WELL AT THIS POINT, I STARTED TO EASE OFF ON THE AMX REVERSE, KEEPING MAX BRAKING. IMMEDIATELY I SAW THAT THE BRAKES STILL WEREN'T SLOWING US DOWN ENOUGH, AND PUT THE REVERSERS BACK TO MAX. (I NEVER HAD TAKEN THEM TOTALLY OUT OF REVERSE.) I TRIED TO TURN OFF AT THE END, BUT THE PLANE DID NOT WANT TO TURN. I FELT THE NOSE GEAR SKID, AND TOOK OUT SOME OF THE INPUT, BUT IT DIDN'T SEEM TO MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. WHEN IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT WE WOULD NOT MAKE THE TURN AND WOULD GO OFF THE PAVEMENT, I CTRED THE NOSEWHEEL TO MINIMIZE ANY DAMAGE TO IT AND THE STRUT. WE STOPPED WITH THE MAIN GEAR STILL (BUT BARELY) ON THE PAVEMENT, NOSEWHEEL IN THE DIRT, AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE TO THE RWY. IT WAS A GENTLE STOP, NOT LOCKING INERTIA REELS OR DISLODGING ANYTHING IN THE COCKPIT. AS SOON AS WE DETERMINED THAT WE WERE OK, WE CALLED TWR, TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE PROBABLY BLOCKING THE RWY, AND COULDN'T GET OUT ON OUR OWN. ACARS SHOWED US DOWN AT XA20Z. IT TOOK SOME TIME FOR COMPANY TO GET A TUG OUT TO US. MEANWHILE, AN ARPT SNOWPLOW TRIED TO CLR A PATH IN FRONT OF US FOR THE TUG TO PUSH FROM. WHEN THE TUG ARRIVED, IT GOT STUCK AS SOON AS IT LEFT THE PAVED SURFACE. THE SNOWPLOW TRIED TO PUSH IT, AND IT GOT STUCK. ANOTHER PLOW MANAGED TO TOW BOTH OF THEM BACK ONTO THE RWY. IT WAS DECIDED TO TOW US BACKWARDS ONTO THE TXWY USING CABLES AROUND THE MAIN LNDG GEAR, THEN HOOK UP THE TUG AND TOW US TO THE RAMP. WE HAD KEPT #3 ENG RUNNING, AND HAD TO RESTART #2 ENG AND RUN THEM AT 25 PERCENT ALL THE WAY TO THE RAMP, BECAUSE THE TUG KEPT SPINNING ITS WHEELS OTHERWISE. WE FINALLY BLOCKED IN AT XC44Z. THE ARPT VEHICLE RPTED A TAPLEY METER READING OF 23-27 (POOR) AT XC00Z, AND SAID THERE WAS RUBBER ON THE RWY AND SUSPECTED WE HAD A BLOWN TIRE. INSPECTION PROVED IT TO BE BADLY SCRUBBED, BUT NOT BLOWN. WHILE CHANGING #5 TIRE, MAINT FOUND THAT #5 BRAKE WAS NOT RELEASING WITH TRANSDUCER SPINUP. THIS WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR STOPPING PROB SINCE BOTH L AFT WHEELS COULD HAVE BEEN LOCKED UP DURING MOST OF THE LNDG. IT MIGHT ALSO HAVE BEEN A FACTOR IN OUR DIFFICULTY IN TURNING TO THE R AT THE END OF THE RWY IF THEY WERE STILL LOCKED. PART OF MY HABIT PATTERN IS TO PRESS-TO-TEST THE ANTI-SKID TO BE ARMED, SO I'M POSITIVE THAT THE COCKPIT INDICATIONS WERE THAT WE HAD GOOD ANTI-SKID. THEY REPLACED THE AFT ANTI-SKID VALVE. THEY ALSO RE-SAFETIED #4 REVERSER, SINCE AT SOME POINT IN THE LNDG I MUST HAVE TRIED TO GET IT INTO REVERSE AND BROKE THE SAFETY WIRE. I DON'T RECALL DOING IT. THE FAA MET US AT THE RAMP, CHKED OUR CERTIFICATES AND THE LOGBOOK, AND DEPARTED, INDICATING THAT THEY DID NOT FEEL THERE WAS ANY NEED FOR AN INVESTIGATION. I SPOKE WITH FAA #1 AND FAA #2 AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT CONSIDERING ANY ACTION, AND THAT IF THE CREW FELT UP TO IT THAT WE COULD CONTINUE WITH THE SCHEDULED FLT (SAME ACFT) TO PHL. WE WERE UNABLE TO DO THATDUE TO RUNNING OUT OF CREW DUTY TIME BEFORE MAINT GOT THE ANTI-SKID REPAIRED.

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.