Narrative:

Lbb texas, feb/xx/98, at around AB00 hours. (An ATR72 aircraft.) there was snow on the ground and light snow was falling. During the walkaround I noticed the aircraft had some snow on the wings and fuselage. After all the passenger were loaded (about 7), the aircraft was deiced and we were given a report. I glanced out at the wing and noticed there was still a large amount of snow on the leading portion and top of the wing. I told the captain and he told me to call and request to get deiced again. The second time we were deiced we checked the visible surface areas and did a check of the flight controls and everything looked fine. On takeoff I noticed that I needed a lot of forward trim. During the climb, I looked at the elevator trim indicator and it was full down. I advised the captain and he said it was probably a faulty gauge and to continue. As we leveled at 17000 ft MSL and the aircraft accelerated, I needed an unusually large amount of forward pressure on the yoke and had a hard time maintaining altitude because the aircraft wanted to climb. I told the captain and he checked the controls and agreed we had a problem. He reduced the power and we slowed to about 180 KTS. The captain asked the flight attendant to move all the passenger forward and this helped somewhat. I told the captain I wasn't comfortable with these conditions and I wanted to either return to lbb or deviate somewhere closer. He told me, 'no, everything is fine.' after a few mins, I told the captain I wasn't comfortable and I wanted to divert and land. He told me 'no, we will continue to dfw.' again after a few moments I told the captain I was concerned with the possibility of ice on the tail or possibly a trim malfunction and that I thought we should land and have it checked out. He asked me why and I replied that we were out of center of gravity range (because we moved all passenger forward) with possible tail ice and the flight controls were not responding normally and I was concerned the tail could stall and that continuing to dfw would aggravate the situation. We were on top of an overcast at 17000 ft but there were icing conditions further ahead and at dfw airport. The captain then told center we wanted to deviate to abi and that we were having flight control problems. He told them we needed no assistance. As we descended toward abi the control forces normalized and the trim returned to the normal position. I briefed the captain on the approach into abi and advised him I would use a faster approach speed and we landed without incidence. I was advised that the person who deiced the aircraft was not properly trained and she admitted that she did not deice the tail. Also, a company aircraft that left shortly after us from lbb experienced similar problems and returned to lbb.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ATR72 RECEIVED IMPROPER DEICING AT LBB. AFTER TKOF THE FO, PF, HAS TO USE FULL FORWARD TRIM TO MAINTAIN ALT. FO FINALLY TALKS THE CAPT INTO DIVERTING INTO ABI SO AS TO AVOID FURTHER ICING PROBS IN THE DFW AREA.

Narrative: LBB TEXAS, FEB/XX/98, AT AROUND AB00 HRS. (AN ATR72 ACFT.) THERE WAS SNOW ON THE GND AND LIGHT SNOW WAS FALLING. DURING THE WALKAROUND I NOTICED THE ACFT HAD SOME SNOW ON THE WINGS AND FUSELAGE. AFTER ALL THE PAX WERE LOADED (ABOUT 7), THE ACFT WAS DEICED AND WE WERE GIVEN A RPT. I GLANCED OUT AT THE WING AND NOTICED THERE WAS STILL A LARGE AMOUNT OF SNOW ON THE LEADING PORTION AND TOP OF THE WING. I TOLD THE CAPT AND HE TOLD ME TO CALL AND REQUEST TO GET DEICED AGAIN. THE SECOND TIME WE WERE DEICED WE CHKED THE VISIBLE SURFACE AREAS AND DID A CHK OF THE FLT CTLS AND EVERYTHING LOOKED FINE. ON TKOF I NOTICED THAT I NEEDED A LOT OF FORWARD TRIM. DURING THE CLB, I LOOKED AT THE ELEVATOR TRIM INDICATOR AND IT WAS FULL DOWN. I ADVISED THE CAPT AND HE SAID IT WAS PROBABLY A FAULTY GAUGE AND TO CONTINUE. AS WE LEVELED AT 17000 FT MSL AND THE ACFT ACCELERATED, I NEEDED AN UNUSUALLY LARGE AMOUNT OF FORWARD PRESSURE ON THE YOKE AND HAD A HARD TIME MAINTAINING ALT BECAUSE THE ACFT WANTED TO CLB. I TOLD THE CAPT AND HE CHKED THE CTLS AND AGREED WE HAD A PROB. HE REDUCED THE PWR AND WE SLOWED TO ABOUT 180 KTS. THE CAPT ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO MOVE ALL THE PAX FORWARD AND THIS HELPED SOMEWHAT. I TOLD THE CAPT I WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH THESE CONDITIONS AND I WANTED TO EITHER RETURN TO LBB OR DEVIATE SOMEWHERE CLOSER. HE TOLD ME, 'NO, EVERYTHING IS FINE.' AFTER A FEW MINS, I TOLD THE CAPT I WASN'T COMFORTABLE AND I WANTED TO DIVERT AND LAND. HE TOLD ME 'NO, WE WILL CONTINUE TO DFW.' AGAIN AFTER A FEW MOMENTS I TOLD THE CAPT I WAS CONCERNED WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ICE ON THE TAIL OR POSSIBLY A TRIM MALFUNCTION AND THAT I THOUGHT WE SHOULD LAND AND HAVE IT CHKED OUT. HE ASKED ME WHY AND I REPLIED THAT WE WERE OUT OF CTR OF GRAVITY RANGE (BECAUSE WE MOVED ALL PAX FORWARD) WITH POSSIBLE TAIL ICE AND THE FLT CTLS WERE NOT RESPONDING NORMALLY AND I WAS CONCERNED THE TAIL COULD STALL AND THAT CONTINUING TO DFW WOULD AGGRAVATE THE SIT. WE WERE ON TOP OF AN OVCST AT 17000 FT BUT THERE WERE ICING CONDITIONS FURTHER AHEAD AND AT DFW ARPT. THE CAPT THEN TOLD CTR WE WANTED TO DEVIATE TO ABI AND THAT WE WERE HAVING FLT CTL PROBS. HE TOLD THEM WE NEEDED NO ASSISTANCE. AS WE DSNDED TOWARD ABI THE CTL FORCES NORMALIZED AND THE TRIM RETURNED TO THE NORMAL POS. I BRIEFED THE CAPT ON THE APCH INTO ABI AND ADVISED HIM I WOULD USE A FASTER APCH SPD AND WE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENCE. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE PERSON WHO DEICED THE ACFT WAS NOT PROPERLY TRAINED AND SHE ADMITTED THAT SHE DID NOT DEICE THE TAIL. ALSO, A COMPANY ACFT THAT LEFT SHORTLY AFTER US FROM LBB EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBS AND RETURNED TO LBB.

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.