Narrative:

The night of dec/xa/00, ZZZ experienced freezing precipitation that required aircraft to be deiced on the morning of dec/xb/00. Snow falling that morning necessitated anti-icing after the deicing. Aircraft deicing and anti-icing was not done at the gate, therefore, no flight control checks were performed on B727 xyz during the origination preflight since there was ice obstructing the controls. Deicing/anti-icing took place after pushback at ZZZ at XA39. After deicing/anti-icing had taken place and we were advised that our holdover time had started 11 mins ago, we started all 3 engines. Before we taxied from the ramp area, we began to perform a complete flight control check. The right elevator indicator would not show full aft movement and it did not match the left elevator indicator. Contract maintenance was called. Contract maintenance at ZZZ is air carrier. The air carrier maintenance man came over in an air carrier deicing truck so he could use the lift to inspect the horizontal stabilizer. After a cursory inspection of our jet, he came into the cockpit and advised us that we still had over 1/4 inch of ice on the upper and lower surface of our wings. There was anti-icing fluid, but it was covering ice. He asked us to shut down so he could inspect the tail. Our flight engineer went out with the mechanic to further access the ice. He confirmed that ice was still on the aircraft, especially in the recessed areas around flight controls. The mechanic inspected the horizontal stabilizer and found ice on the stabilizer, especially in the jack screw area. We were blocking the ramp and had passenger who wanted to get off, so we went back to the gate. At the gate, the air carrier mechanic thoroughly deiced the aircraft. He then got on the service interphone and we did a complete flight control check. The right elevator would still not indicate full movement, but the mechanic was able to confirm that we indeed had full movement -- the elevators matched -- and there was no damage to the horizontal stabilizer or elevators. After consulting the MEL, we called dispatch who conferenced in maintenance technician. We agreed that we had a bad elevator position indicator and placarded the right elevator position indicator inoperative in accordance with MEL 27-7. This also took the aircraft out of CAT ii which was not a factor in the dispatching of this flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727-200 RETURNED TO THE GATE FOR A CTL CHK AFTER DEICING WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THE DEICING WAS INCOMPLETE AND INCORRECTLY ACCOMPLISHED.

Narrative: THE NIGHT OF DEC/XA/00, ZZZ EXPERIENCED FREEZING PRECIP THAT REQUIRED ACFT TO BE DEICED ON THE MORNING OF DEC/XB/00. SNOW FALLING THAT MORNING NECESSITATED ANTI-ICING AFTER THE DEICING. ACFT DEICING AND ANTI-ICING WAS NOT DONE AT THE GATE, THEREFORE, NO FLT CTL CHKS WERE PERFORMED ON B727 XYZ DURING THE ORIGINATION PREFLT SINCE THERE WAS ICE OBSTRUCTING THE CTLS. DEICING/ANTI-ICING TOOK PLACE AFTER PUSHBACK AT ZZZ AT XA39. AFTER DEICING/ANTI-ICING HAD TAKEN PLACE AND WE WERE ADVISED THAT OUR HOLDOVER TIME HAD STARTED 11 MINS AGO, WE STARTED ALL 3 ENGS. BEFORE WE TAXIED FROM THE RAMP AREA, WE BEGAN TO PERFORM A COMPLETE FLT CTL CHK. THE R ELEVATOR INDICATOR WOULD NOT SHOW FULL AFT MOVEMENT AND IT DID NOT MATCH THE L ELEVATOR INDICATOR. CONTRACT MAINT WAS CALLED. CONTRACT MAINT AT ZZZ IS ACR. THE ACR MAINT MAN CAME OVER IN AN ACR DEICING TRUCK SO HE COULD USE THE LIFT TO INSPECT THE HORIZ STABILIZER. AFTER A CURSORY INSPECTION OF OUR JET, HE CAME INTO THE COCKPIT AND ADVISED US THAT WE STILL HAD OVER 1/4 INCH OF ICE ON THE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACE OF OUR WINGS. THERE WAS ANTI-ICING FLUID, BUT IT WAS COVERING ICE. HE ASKED US TO SHUT DOWN SO HE COULD INSPECT THE TAIL. OUR FE WENT OUT WITH THE MECH TO FURTHER ACCESS THE ICE. HE CONFIRMED THAT ICE WAS STILL ON THE ACFT, ESPECIALLY IN THE RECESSED AREAS AROUND FLT CTLS. THE MECH INSPECTED THE HORIZ STABILIZER AND FOUND ICE ON THE STABILIZER, ESPECIALLY IN THE JACK SCREW AREA. WE WERE BLOCKING THE RAMP AND HAD PAX WHO WANTED TO GET OFF, SO WE WENT BACK TO THE GATE. AT THE GATE, THE ACR MECH THOROUGHLY DEICED THE ACFT. HE THEN GOT ON THE SVC INTERPHONE AND WE DID A COMPLETE FLT CTL CHK. THE R ELEVATOR WOULD STILL NOT INDICATE FULL MOVEMENT, BUT THE MECH WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT WE INDEED HAD FULL MOVEMENT -- THE ELEVATORS MATCHED -- AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE HORIZ STABILIZER OR ELEVATORS. AFTER CONSULTING THE MEL, WE CALLED DISPATCH WHO CONFERENCED IN MAINT TECHNICIAN. WE AGREED THAT WE HAD A BAD ELEVATOR POS INDICATOR AND PLACARDED THE R ELEVATOR POS INDICATOR INOP IN ACCORDANCE WITH MEL 27-7. THIS ALSO TOOK THE ACFT OUT OF CAT II WHICH WAS NOT A FACTOR IN THE DISPATCHING OF THIS FLT.

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.