Narrative:

Preflight deicing. Origination preflight. Cold -14 degrees C. Clear, sunny, bright. Aircraft clean. No moisture or ice or frost buildup. Briefed captain. Other equipment has frost buildup. Pushback, ground crew asked if we called for deice. No. Taxiing out, flight attendant called cockpit -- asked about frost on wings. I assured her it was free and clear and no need to deice. Captain heard talk on intercom about frost concerns. Talked to flight attendant and assured that all was free and clear and safe. Takeoff for dallas. Landed, deplaned, and captain (as deadheading captain) approached. Wanted to speak with captain about safety concern -- frost on wing. Captain reported aircraft was free of contamination and clear report by first officer (me). Deadheading captain was angry and concerned we violated company deicing policy. I assured him the wings were clear. All flight controls were clear. He was visibly agitated and says will report this event to professional standards and FAA. He did not ask to speak with my captain before the flight and allowed it to continue even though he had strong concerns. Only after the completed flight did he threaten and accuse. I did not know crew (captain S80) was on board until after he confronted my captain. I preflted this aircraft strictly in accordance with company policy. There was no contamination on any flight surface. There is a possibility that minute ice crystals were highlighted by the extreme bright sunlight. That is the only explanation I can think of for his concern. Supplemental information from acn 533521: at push out, push crew asked if I planned to deice. First officer reported that there was no contamination on the aircraft and it was his opinion that deicing was unnecessary. Based on that I declined deicing. On taxi out, a flight attendant rang the cockpit -- the first officer answered. When I asked what that was about, he said the flight attendant thought it looked like there was some frost on the wings and wanted to know if we were going to deice, but he said he told her it was not needed. With this, I asked if he was certain the aircraft was clear of frost, which he again insisted the aircraft was clean, 'as if it had been hangared' he said. I was confident the first officer knew what frost looked like, and knowing the early morning sunrise can make reflections off the wings which can look peculiar, I called the flight attendants back and I told them that I felt the aircraft was clean, but that even in the event there was a small amount of frost on the aircraft, that as light as we were, there would be absolutely no danger to the performance of the aircraft. I told them this to calm their concerns -- not because I believed there was any frost on the wings or that it would be ok to take off with that condition. On arrival at dfw, a captain who was riding in back called me aside and asked if I knew that there was frost on the aircraft on takeoff. It was apparently he who got the flight attendants to call the cockpit on taxi out in the first place, and it was he who pointed out to them what he believed to be the frost formations -- all of which I was unaware of until this point. Had I known the observations had come from another pilot, I would have taken the report much more seriously. My interphone comments to the flight attendants about being light enough to perform well even with a little frost had apparently been relayed to him, as he went on to insinuate that I either didn't know the regulations or that I knowingly departed illegally. In either case, he indicated his intent to advise others of the incident. The first officer still maintains the aircraft was clear of frost. It was his opinion which I used as the basis for my decision to depart without deicing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 FO DECIDED DEICING OF THE ACFT WAS UNNECESSARY. THE ACR ALREADY HAD DEICING IN PROGRESS WITH OTHER DEPARTING ACFT.

Narrative: PREFLT DEICING. ORIGINATION PREFLT. COLD -14 DEGS C. CLR, SUNNY, BRIGHT. ACFT CLEAN. NO MOISTURE OR ICE OR FROST BUILDUP. BRIEFED CAPT. OTHER EQUIP HAS FROST BUILDUP. PUSHBACK, GND CREW ASKED IF WE CALLED FOR DEICE. NO. TAXIING OUT, FLT ATTENDANT CALLED COCKPIT -- ASKED ABOUT FROST ON WINGS. I ASSURED HER IT WAS FREE AND CLR AND NO NEED TO DEICE. CAPT HEARD TALK ON INTERCOM ABOUT FROST CONCERNS. TALKED TO FLT ATTENDANT AND ASSURED THAT ALL WAS FREE AND CLR AND SAFE. TKOF FOR DALLAS. LANDED, DEPLANED, AND CAPT (AS DEADHEADING CAPT) APCHED. WANTED TO SPEAK WITH CAPT ABOUT SAFETY CONCERN -- FROST ON WING. CAPT RPTED ACFT WAS FREE OF CONTAMINATION AND CLR RPT BY FO (ME). DEADHEADING CAPT WAS ANGRY AND CONCERNED WE VIOLATED COMPANY DEICING POLICY. I ASSURED HIM THE WINGS WERE CLR. ALL FLT CTLS WERE CLR. HE WAS VISIBLY AGITATED AND SAYS WILL RPT THIS EVENT TO PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND FAA. HE DID NOT ASK TO SPEAK WITH MY CAPT BEFORE THE FLT AND ALLOWED IT TO CONTINUE EVEN THOUGH HE HAD STRONG CONCERNS. ONLY AFTER THE COMPLETED FLT DID HE THREATEN AND ACCUSE. I DID NOT KNOW CREW (CAPT S80) WAS ON BOARD UNTIL AFTER HE CONFRONTED MY CAPT. I PREFLTED THIS ACFT STRICTLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY POLICY. THERE WAS NO CONTAMINATION ON ANY FLT SURFACE. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT MINUTE ICE CRYSTALS WERE HIGHLIGHTED BY THE EXTREME BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. THAT IS THE ONLY EXPLANATION I CAN THINK OF FOR HIS CONCERN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 533521: AT PUSH OUT, PUSH CREW ASKED IF I PLANNED TO DEICE. FO RPTED THAT THERE WAS NO CONTAMINATION ON THE ACFT AND IT WAS HIS OPINION THAT DEICING WAS UNNECESSARY. BASED ON THAT I DECLINED DEICING. ON TAXI OUT, A FLT ATTENDANT RANG THE COCKPIT -- THE FO ANSWERED. WHEN I ASKED WHAT THAT WAS ABOUT, HE SAID THE FLT ATTENDANT THOUGHT IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS SOME FROST ON THE WINGS AND WANTED TO KNOW IF WE WERE GOING TO DEICE, BUT HE SAID HE TOLD HER IT WAS NOT NEEDED. WITH THIS, I ASKED IF HE WAS CERTAIN THE ACFT WAS CLR OF FROST, WHICH HE AGAIN INSISTED THE ACFT WAS CLEAN, 'AS IF IT HAD BEEN HANGARED' HE SAID. I WAS CONFIDENT THE FO KNEW WHAT FROST LOOKED LIKE, AND KNOWING THE EARLY MORNING SUNRISE CAN MAKE REFLECTIONS OFF THE WINGS WHICH CAN LOOK PECULIAR, I CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANTS BACK AND I TOLD THEM THAT I FELT THE ACFT WAS CLEAN, BUT THAT EVEN IN THE EVENT THERE WAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF FROST ON THE ACFT, THAT AS LIGHT AS WE WERE, THERE WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY NO DANGER TO THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ACFT. I TOLD THEM THIS TO CALM THEIR CONCERNS -- NOT BECAUSE I BELIEVED THERE WAS ANY FROST ON THE WINGS OR THAT IT WOULD BE OK TO TAKE OFF WITH THAT CONDITION. ON ARR AT DFW, A CAPT WHO WAS RIDING IN BACK CALLED ME ASIDE AND ASKED IF I KNEW THAT THERE WAS FROST ON THE ACFT ON TKOF. IT WAS APPARENTLY HE WHO GOT THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO CALL THE COCKPIT ON TAXI OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND IT WAS HE WHO POINTED OUT TO THEM WHAT HE BELIEVED TO BE THE FROST FORMATIONS -- ALL OF WHICH I WAS UNAWARE OF UNTIL THIS POINT. HAD I KNOWN THE OBSERVATIONS HAD COME FROM ANOTHER PLT, I WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE RPT MUCH MORE SERIOUSLY. MY INTERPHONE COMMENTS TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS ABOUT BEING LIGHT ENOUGH TO PERFORM WELL EVEN WITH A LITTLE FROST HAD APPARENTLY BEEN RELAYED TO HIM, AS HE WENT ON TO INSINUATE THAT I EITHER DIDN'T KNOW THE REGS OR THAT I KNOWINGLY DEPARTED ILLEGALLY. IN EITHER CASE, HE INDICATED HIS INTENT TO ADVISE OTHERS OF THE INCIDENT. THE FO STILL MAINTAINS THE ACFT WAS CLR OF FROST. IT WAS HIS OPINION WHICH I USED AS THE BASIS FOR MY DECISION TO DEPART WITHOUT DEICING.

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.