Narrative:

Flight on dec/mon/97, from atl to swf. I was first officer PNF. The atl takeoff, departure, en route, swf arrival and approach phases were normal and uneventful. Prior to approach I got information from ATIS. No mention of runway condition. All checklists were completed with the aircraft configured for flap 40 degree landing prior to the OM. ATC cleared us to land on runway 9, stating that the wind was 010 degrees at 14 KTS and braking action reported fair by an aircraft 30 mins prior to our arrival. No mention of runway clutter was reported. On approach, the captain breifed me to monitor thrust reverse for asymmetric conditions during landing rollout. Windshield wipers had to be used as moderate snow was fallng. At 400 ft AGL we obtained the runway environment in sight and continued to land, maintaining visual contact with the runway throughout the touchdown. The captain turned off the nose gear taxi lights as the bright light obscured our visibility in the moderate snow. The aircraft touched down in the touchdown zone of runway 9 on centerline. I called 'spoilers, two buckets, two in reverse, both at 1.1, 110 KTS.' at approximately 100 KTS the aircraft suddenly started to drift right of centerline with the nose rotating to the left. Left rudder was commanded and the engines reverse thrust deselected. The aircraft stopped its right drift and began drifting left of centerline with the nose continuing to rotate left into the wind. The aircraft came to rest with the fuselage of the aircraft perpendicular to the runway with the nose gear off the runway surface. Both main landing gear remained on the runway surface. There were approximately 3500 ft of runway 9 remaining. Tower asked us for a braking action report on our rollout. I advised tower that we had departed the runway, that braking action was obviously not fair, and to roll the trucks. The emergency equipment responded within 2-3 mins. We decided that there was no evidence of aircraft damage and not a need to evacuate/evacuation the passenger. Passenger were instructed to remain seated until transportation to the terminal had arrived. Upon deplaning the captain and I observed 2-3 inches of slush and ice covering the runway 9 surface. Additionally, we learned that our 2 left tires were flat. Further investigation revealed no other aircraft damage. The passenger remained calm and there were no reports of personal injury. The bottom line in this incident is that we were not given critical information by swf tower (2-3 inches of standing slush on the runway) with which to make a decision that would have averted this incident. Our company guidance limits us to a maximum of 1 inch of slush for landing. Had we known the runway condition we would have either held until they swept the runway, or diverted to jfk.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MD88 FLC WERE SURPRISED TO FIND THAT THE RWY THAT THEY HAD JUST LANDED ON WAS COVERED WITH 2-3 INCHES OF SLUSH. THEY LOST PARTIAL CTL OF THE ACFT AND THE NOSE GEAR TIRES LEFT THE RWY SURFACE AND THE L MAIN GEAR TIRES DEFLATED.

Narrative: FLT ON DEC/MON/97, FROM ATL TO SWF. I WAS FO PNF. THE ATL TKOF, DEP, ENRTE, SWF ARR AND APCH PHASES WERE NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL. PRIOR TO APCH I GOT INFO FROM ATIS. NO MENTION OF RWY CONDITION. ALL CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED WITH THE ACFT CONFIGURED FOR FLAP 40 DEG LNDG PRIOR TO THE OM. ATC CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 9, STATING THAT THE WIND WAS 010 DEGS AT 14 KTS AND BRAKING ACTION RPTED FAIR BY AN ACFT 30 MINS PRIOR TO OUR ARR. NO MENTION OF RWY CLUTTER WAS RPTED. ON APCH, THE CAPT BREIFED ME TO MONITOR THRUST REVERSE FOR ASYMMETRIC CONDITIONS DURING LNDG ROLLOUT. WINDSHIELD WIPERS HAD TO BE USED AS MODERATE SNOW WAS FALLNG. AT 400 FT AGL WE OBTAINED THE RWY ENVIRONMENT IN SIGHT AND CONTINUED TO LAND, MAINTAINING VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE RWY THROUGHOUT THE TOUCHDOWN. THE CAPT TURNED OFF THE NOSE GEAR TAXI LIGHTS AS THE BRIGHT LIGHT OBSCURED OUR VISIBILITY IN THE MODERATE SNOW. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE OF RWY 9 ON CTRLINE. I CALLED 'SPOILERS, TWO BUCKETS, TWO IN REVERSE, BOTH AT 1.1, 110 KTS.' AT APPROX 100 KTS THE ACFT SUDDENLY STARTED TO DRIFT R OF CTRLINE WITH THE NOSE ROTATING TO THE L. L RUDDER WAS COMMANDED AND THE ENGS REVERSE THRUST DESELECTED. THE ACFT STOPPED ITS R DRIFT AND BEGAN DRIFTING L OF CTRLINE WITH THE NOSE CONTINUING TO ROTATE L INTO THE WIND. THE ACFT CAME TO REST WITH THE FUSELAGE OF THE ACFT PERPENDICULAR TO THE RWY WITH THE NOSE GEAR OFF THE RWY SURFACE. BOTH MAIN LNDG GEAR REMAINED ON THE RWY SURFACE. THERE WERE APPROX 3500 FT OF RWY 9 REMAINING. TWR ASKED US FOR A BRAKING ACTION RPT ON OUR ROLLOUT. I ADVISED TWR THAT WE HAD DEPARTED THE RWY, THAT BRAKING ACTION WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT FAIR, AND TO ROLL THE TRUCKS. THE EMER EQUIP RESPONDED WITHIN 2-3 MINS. WE DECIDED THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ACFT DAMAGE AND NOT A NEED TO EVAC THE PAX. PAX WERE INSTRUCTED TO REMAIN SEATED UNTIL TRANSPORTATION TO THE TERMINAL HAD ARRIVED. UPON DEPLANING THE CAPT AND I OBSERVED 2-3 INCHES OF SLUSH AND ICE COVERING THE RWY 9 SURFACE. ADDITIONALLY, WE LEARNED THAT OUR 2 L TIRES WERE FLAT. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO OTHER ACFT DAMAGE. THE PAX REMAINED CALM AND THERE WERE NO RPTS OF PERSONAL INJURY. THE BOTTOM LINE IN THIS INCIDENT IS THAT WE WERE NOT GIVEN CRITICAL INFO BY SWF TWR (2-3 INCHES OF STANDING SLUSH ON THE RWY) WITH WHICH TO MAKE A DECISION THAT WOULD HAVE AVERTED THIS INCIDENT. OUR COMPANY GUIDANCE LIMITS US TO A MAX OF 1 INCH OF SLUSH FOR LNDG. HAD WE KNOWN THE RWY CONDITION WE WOULD HAVE EITHER HELD UNTIL THEY SWEPT THE RWY, OR DIVERTED TO JFK.

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.