Aircraft deicing policy procedure.

Attributes
ACN	294265
Time
Date	199501
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dfw
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Fokker 100
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	294265
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

I was departing dfw this morning and noticed what I think is a problem in our deicing at dfw. We were deicing for a heavy layer of frost on the wings and were in a line of about 5 aircraft that were ahead of us. I noticed that on all of the aircraft ahead of us, the deicers not only did not deice the horizontal tail, they did not even look at the tail of these aircraft. When I was at the head of the line, I asked the deicer if it was normal not to inspect the tail before or after deicing when the wings had frost. He told me that it was procedure not to inspect the tail unless the captain specifically requested it. I told him that with frost we were concerned with all of flight control surfaces and that I wanted the tail inspected. This could be a big safety problem in that I think that most aircraft this morning were departing dfw with their upper tail surfaces covered with frost.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT DEICING POLICY PROC.

Narrative: I WAS DEPARTING DFW THIS MORNING AND NOTICED WHAT I THINK IS A PROB IN OUR DEICING AT DFW. WE WERE DEICING FOR A HVY LAYER OF FROST ON THE WINGS AND WERE IN A LINE OF ABOUT 5 ACFT THAT WERE AHEAD OF US. I NOTICED THAT ON ALL OF THE ACFT AHEAD OF US, THE DEICERS NOT ONLY DID NOT DEICE THE HORIZ TAIL, THEY DID NOT EVEN LOOK AT THE TAIL OF THESE ACFT. WHEN I WAS AT THE HEAD OF THE LINE, I ASKED THE DEICER IF IT WAS NORMAL NOT TO INSPECT THE TAIL BEFORE OR AFTER DEICING WHEN THE WINGS HAD FROST. HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS PROC NOT TO INSPECT THE TAIL UNLESS THE CAPT SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED IT. I TOLD HIM THAT WITH FROST WE WERE CONCERNED WITH ALL OF FLT CTL SURFACES AND THAT I WANTED THE TAIL INSPECTED. THIS COULD BE A BIG SAFETY PROB IN THAT I THINK THAT MOST ACFT THIS MORNING WERE DEPARTING DFW WITH THEIR UPPER TAIL SURFACES COVERED WITH FROST.

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.