Narrative:

Flight departed cvg gate on time at XB22Z on jan/xx/97. WX at time of departure was cvg metar XA54Z, 11007 KTS 9SM-RA broken 048 overcast 65 M01/M04 A2999. Copilot indicated that the ramp was not slippery during walkaround inspection and there was no ice adhering to the aircraft. We did elect to have the aircraft deiced due to the fact that we had rain on a cold soaked wing. After pushback, we began our taxi on the ramp txwys to a remote deice pad. Taxi speed was less than 10 KTS as we were taxiing in close proximity to another deice pad and aircraft parked at concourse. Nosegear steering and braking response were normal until we began a left turn around concourse. As the turn was initiated, the nosegear did not respond to tiller movement. Brakes were applied but they also did not respond. Hydraulic pressure and brake pressure were both checked immediately and were 'normal.' I then selected reverse thrust on the operating engine (#1). Usable reverse thrust was not available until the aircraft departed the ramp taxiway. The nose gear came to rest approximately 10 ft off the concrete ramp taxiway, on the asphalt apron. The aircraft did not hit or damage any taxiway lights or signs. We contacted our local operations and they dispatched several vehicles to our location. One of the trucks slid into a taxiway light approximately 30 ft in front of us when slowly approaching us. The aircraft was inspected and determined to be free of any damage. Sand trucks were dispatched. They heavily sanded the area around us to give the tug traction to push us free of our location. We were towed to an adjacent gate and again inspected for damage by maintenance. None was found. The airport was subsequently closed for the next 45 mins while local ground crews treated the ramps, txwys and runways with sand and chemicals. At XE36Z, our flight departed the gate, deiced and had an uneventful flight to atl. WX conditions this morning were rapidly changing. We landed 40 mins earlier with no rain, and much warmer temperatures. Although it was apparent that we would need to be deiced (rain on a cold soaked wing), I did not feel that ramp conditions would be as they were. We had not received any notification of any kind regarding braking action or slippery conditions. It was apparent after our problem that conditions had changed considerably and rapidly. Ground crews responded rapidly and ramp control began immediate broadcasts of conditions. In my experience, I have conducted operations with wet txwys and runways with much colder temperatures and no degradation of nose gear steering or braking effectiveness. With the warm temperatures that had been experienced the last week or so in the cvg area, and the warmer conditions that were prevalent just 30-40 mins earlier, I did not expect the conditions that existed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD88 DEPARTED THE GATE FOR DEICING AT A REMOTE DEICE SITE. AT FIRST TURN FROM RAMP AREA NOSE GEAR DID NOT RESPOND AND REVERSE THRUST ON THE OPERATING ENG BUT SLID OFF THE TXWY AREA ONTO THE ASPHALT APRON. NO DAMAGE TO ACFT OR ARPT. PUSHED BACK ONTO CONCRETE AND FOR THE NEXT 45 MINS THE ARPT WAS CLOSED FOR SANDING TXWY, RAMP AND RWYS.

Narrative: FLT DEPARTED CVG GATE ON TIME AT XB22Z ON JAN/XX/97. WX AT TIME OF DEP WAS CVG METAR XA54Z, 11007 KTS 9SM-RA BROKEN 048 OVCST 65 M01/M04 A2999. COPLT INDICATED THAT THE RAMP WAS NOT SLIPPERY DURING WALKAROUND INSPECTION AND THERE WAS NO ICE ADHERING TO THE ACFT. WE DID ELECT TO HAVE THE ACFT DEICED DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE HAD RAIN ON A COLD SOAKED WING. AFTER PUSHBACK, WE BEGAN OUR TAXI ON THE RAMP TXWYS TO A REMOTE DEICE PAD. TAXI SPD WAS LESS THAN 10 KTS AS WE WERE TAXIING IN CLOSE PROX TO ANOTHER DEICE PAD AND ACFT PARKED AT CONCOURSE. NOSEGEAR STEERING AND BRAKING RESPONSE WERE NORMAL UNTIL WE BEGAN A L TURN AROUND CONCOURSE. AS THE TURN WAS INITIATED, THE NOSEGEAR DID NOT RESPOND TO TILLER MOVEMENT. BRAKES WERE APPLIED BUT THEY ALSO DID NOT RESPOND. HYD PRESSURE AND BRAKE PRESSURE WERE BOTH CHKED IMMEDIATELY AND WERE 'NORMAL.' I THEN SELECTED REVERSE THRUST ON THE OPERATING ENG (#1). USABLE REVERSE THRUST WAS NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RAMP TXWY. THE NOSE GEAR CAME TO REST APPROX 10 FT OFF THE CONCRETE RAMP TXWY, ON THE ASPHALT APRON. THE ACFT DID NOT HIT OR DAMAGE ANY TXWY LIGHTS OR SIGNS. WE CONTACTED OUR LCL OPS AND THEY DISPATCHED SEVERAL VEHICLES TO OUR LOCATION. ONE OF THE TRUCKS SLID INTO A TXWY LIGHT APPROX 30 FT IN FRONT OF US WHEN SLOWLY APCHING US. THE ACFT WAS INSPECTED AND DETERMINED TO BE FREE OF ANY DAMAGE. SAND TRUCKS WERE DISPATCHED. THEY HEAVILY SANDED THE AREA AROUND US TO GIVE THE TUG TRACTION TO PUSH US FREE OF OUR LOCATION. WE WERE TOWED TO AN ADJACENT GATE AND AGAIN INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE BY MAINT. NONE WAS FOUND. THE ARPT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSED FOR THE NEXT 45 MINS WHILE LCL GND CREWS TREATED THE RAMPS, TXWYS AND RWYS WITH SAND AND CHEMICALS. AT XE36Z, OUR FLT DEPARTED THE GATE, DEICED AND HAD AN UNEVENTFUL FLT TO ATL. WX CONDITIONS THIS MORNING WERE RAPIDLY CHANGING. WE LANDED 40 MINS EARLIER WITH NO RAIN, AND MUCH WARMER TEMPS. ALTHOUGH IT WAS APPARENT THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BE DEICED (RAIN ON A COLD SOAKED WING), I DID NOT FEEL THAT RAMP CONDITIONS WOULD BE AS THEY WERE. WE HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION OF ANY KIND REGARDING BRAKING ACTION OR SLIPPERY CONDITIONS. IT WAS APPARENT AFTER OUR PROB THAT CONDITIONS HAD CHANGED CONSIDERABLY AND RAPIDLY. GND CREWS RESPONDED RAPIDLY AND RAMP CTL BEGAN IMMEDIATE BROADCASTS OF CONDITIONS. IN MY EXPERIENCE, I HAVE CONDUCTED OPS WITH WET TXWYS AND RWYS WITH MUCH COLDER TEMPS AND NO DEGRADATION OF NOSE GEAR STEERING OR BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS. WITH THE WARM TEMPS THAT HAD BEEN EXPERIENCED THE LAST WK OR SO IN THE CVG AREA, AND THE WARMER CONDITIONS THAT WERE PREVALENT JUST 30-40 MINS EARLIER, I DID NOT EXPECT THE CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED.

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.