Narrative:

The enclosed report is an observation of (what I believe to be) a safety concern. I can't really think of anyone else who would care about this, so it goes to you. I feel that if there was an accident related to departure airframe icing, the bos clearance delivery guy would definitely get a mention in the accident's chain of events. Airport was closed for snow removal on all runways. No aircraft were allowed to leave the gate. Estimated time for reopening was 30-45 mins. Clearance delivery was maintaining a list of aircraft ready to depart when the airport reopened. Clearance delivery would not tell anyone where they were on the list (said he had no time). Clearance delivery insisted that the aircraft be ready to depart, including deiced, before clearance delivery would put them on the list. In fact, clearance delivery spent a lot of air time giving aircraft the parameters to get on the departure list. Additional time was spent touting the competence of the snow removal personnel. In short, there was time to talk about everything except where the aircraft were on the departure list. Clearance delivery refused to give this information. Aircraft and clearance delivery need to work together in times like this -- especially in winter WX where deicing is an issue. Aircraft need and deserve as much information as they can get to plan and operate a safe flight. Clearance delivery could have provided the approximately position on the departure list when it is available, after all, they were keeping a list. We need it for some of the following reasons: 1) deicing holdover times may become an issue. We should not have been told that we had to have completed deicing prior to getting on the list. Although icing conditions seem to have ceased by then, aircraft crews should still be given control of the time they would like to be deiced prior to departure -- not clearance delivery. 2) fuel may be an issue if aircraft anticipate an extremely long taxi. 3) having ground crews continually standing by for pushback in freezing WX is of some concern (our ground crew was called into position 3 separate times). 4) passenger concern (rage in some cases) can be alleviated by allowing the jetway to remain at the aircraft for lengthy delays -- some passenger may cancel their plans and get off. We can pull the jetway as we move up the list. Solution: clearance delivery should always have time for safety. In fact, he did have time since the airport was closed and no aircraft were moving. Clearance delivery could have assigned departure groups of 5 or 10, eg, 'xyz 123, you're in the second group of 5 to depart, plan to be ready accordingly.' when there was a break (and there was, the airport was closed for 45 mins), clearance delivery could just read the entire list. Clearance delivery should work with us -- not by telling us we must be deiced before we can even get on the list. Appropriate time to deice belongs to the air crew and airline.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PIC'S RPT REGARDING AN ATCT GND CTLR'S TECHNIQUE IN THE LACK OF INFO RELATIVE TO ANY ACFT'S POS ON THE DEP LIST FOR ACFT AWAITING DEP FROM BOS. THE ARPT WAS CLOSED FOR SNOW REMOVAL.

Narrative: THE ENCLOSED RPT IS AN OBSERVATION OF (WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE) A SAFETY CONCERN. I CAN'T REALLY THINK OF ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD CARE ABOUT THIS, SO IT GOES TO YOU. I FEEL THAT IF THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT RELATED TO DEP AIRFRAME ICING, THE BOS CLRNC DELIVERY GUY WOULD DEFINITELY GET A MENTION IN THE ACCIDENT'S CHAIN OF EVENTS. ARPT WAS CLOSED FOR SNOW REMOVAL ON ALL RWYS. NO ACFT WERE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE GATE. ESTIMATED TIME FOR REOPENING WAS 30-45 MINS. CLRNC DELIVERY WAS MAINTAINING A LIST OF ACFT READY TO DEPART WHEN THE ARPT REOPENED. CLRNC DELIVERY WOULD NOT TELL ANYONE WHERE THEY WERE ON THE LIST (SAID HE HAD NO TIME). CLRNC DELIVERY INSISTED THAT THE ACFT BE READY TO DEPART, INCLUDING DEICED, BEFORE CLRNC DELIVERY WOULD PUT THEM ON THE LIST. IN FACT, CLRNC DELIVERY SPENT A LOT OF AIR TIME GIVING ACFT THE PARAMETERS TO GET ON THE DEP LIST. ADDITIONAL TIME WAS SPENT TOUTING THE COMPETENCE OF THE SNOW REMOVAL PERSONNEL. IN SHORT, THERE WAS TIME TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING EXCEPT WHERE THE ACFT WERE ON THE DEP LIST. CLRNC DELIVERY REFUSED TO GIVE THIS INFO. ACFT AND CLRNC DELIVERY NEED TO WORK TOGETHER IN TIMES LIKE THIS -- ESPECIALLY IN WINTER WX WHERE DEICING IS AN ISSUE. ACFT NEED AND DESERVE AS MUCH INFO AS THEY CAN GET TO PLAN AND OPERATE A SAFE FLT. CLRNC DELIVERY COULD HAVE PROVIDED THE APPROX POS ON THE DEP LIST WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE, AFTER ALL, THEY WERE KEEPING A LIST. WE NEED IT FOR SOME OF THE FOLLOWING REASONS: 1) DEICING HOLDOVER TIMES MAY BECOME AN ISSUE. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WE HAD TO HAVE COMPLETED DEICING PRIOR TO GETTING ON THE LIST. ALTHOUGH ICING CONDITIONS SEEM TO HAVE CEASED BY THEN, ACFT CREWS SHOULD STILL BE GIVEN CTL OF THE TIME THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE DEICED PRIOR TO DEP -- NOT CLRNC DELIVERY. 2) FUEL MAY BE AN ISSUE IF ACFT ANTICIPATE AN EXTREMELY LONG TAXI. 3) HAVING GND CREWS CONTINUALLY STANDING BY FOR PUSHBACK IN FREEZING WX IS OF SOME CONCERN (OUR GND CREW WAS CALLED INTO POS 3 SEPARATE TIMES). 4) PAX CONCERN (RAGE IN SOME CASES) CAN BE ALLEVIATED BY ALLOWING THE JETWAY TO REMAIN AT THE ACFT FOR LENGTHY DELAYS -- SOME PAX MAY CANCEL THEIR PLANS AND GET OFF. WE CAN PULL THE JETWAY AS WE MOVE UP THE LIST. SOLUTION: CLRNC DELIVERY SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE TIME FOR SAFETY. IN FACT, HE DID HAVE TIME SINCE THE ARPT WAS CLOSED AND NO ACFT WERE MOVING. CLRNC DELIVERY COULD HAVE ASSIGNED DEP GROUPS OF 5 OR 10, EG, 'XYZ 123, YOU'RE IN THE SECOND GROUP OF 5 TO DEPART, PLAN TO BE READY ACCORDINGLY.' WHEN THERE WAS A BREAK (AND THERE WAS, THE ARPT WAS CLOSED FOR 45 MINS), CLRNC DELIVERY COULD JUST READ THE ENTIRE LIST. CLRNC DELIVERY SHOULD WORK WITH US -- NOT BY TELLING US WE MUST BE DEICED BEFORE WE CAN EVEN GET ON THE LIST. APPROPRIATE TIME TO DEICE BELONGS TO THE AIR CREW AND AIRLINE.

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.