Narrative:

Safety of flight -- dangerous operation of snow removal truck. Safety of flight. Dangerous operation of snow removal vehicle. Syracuse tower cleared us 'position and hold' on runway 10 to wait for snow removal vehicles to finish a run of removing snow from the runway. The 3 snow plows were proceeding towards the departure end of runway 10 (towards the east). When they had completed their work, all 3 vehicles exited the runway at the end. After confirming with the vehicle drivers on the tower radio frequency that they were all clear of runway 10, tower then cleared us for takeoff on runway 10. During the first part of our takeoff roll, one of the snow plow trucks had proceeded west on taxiway a and then made a turn towards runway 10 onto taxiway M (assumably to proceed to the approach end of runway 33 via taxiway M in order to meet one of the other snow plows to plow snow from runway 33). As our airplane accelerated towards V1 speed, both cockpit crew members noticed the snow removal vehicle on what appeared to be a collision course with our aircraft and continuing towards the runway at a rapid pace with no obvious signs of stopping before entering the runway. At some point very close to our V1 speed, the driver of the snow removal vehicle appeared to very abruptly stop at a very close distance from the edge of the runway just as we passed by him. We were able to continue our takeoff past him uneventfully. The snow removal vehicle driver was not exercising due caution and safely operating his vehicle given the slippery taxiway conditions. His vehicle could very easily have skidded as he tried to stop and could have entered the runway just in front of our aircraft just as we were accelerating to rotation speed. His actions caused both pilots in our crew to focus on him and the potential for collision, and greatly distraction us from our primary duties of monitoring our aircraft during the most critical moments of our takeoff. After we departed, my captain radioed back to the tower and requested the snow removal vehicle driver be told that we considered his actions unsafe, and recommended he not continue to drive his vehicle in such a manner in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80. SNOW PLOW ALMOST ENTERED RWY AS THE CREW ACCELERATED PAST V1 AT SYR.

Narrative: SAFETY OF FLT -- DANGEROUS OP OF SNOW REMOVAL TRUCK. SAFETY OF FLT. DANGEROUS OP OF SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLE. SYRACUSE TWR CLRED US 'POS AND HOLD' ON RWY 10 TO WAIT FOR SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLES TO FINISH A RUN OF REMOVING SNOW FROM THE RWY. THE 3 SNOW PLOWS WERE PROCEEDING TOWARDS THE DEP END OF RWY 10 (TOWARDS THE E). WHEN THEY HAD COMPLETED THEIR WORK, ALL 3 VEHICLES EXITED THE RWY AT THE END. AFTER CONFIRMING WITH THE VEHICLE DRIVERS ON THE TWR RADIO FREQ THAT THEY WERE ALL CLR OF RWY 10, TWR THEN CLRED US FOR TKOF ON RWY 10. DURING THE FIRST PART OF OUR TKOF ROLL, ONE OF THE SNOW PLOW TRUCKS HAD PROCEEDED W ON TXWY A AND THEN MADE A TURN TOWARDS RWY 10 ONTO TXWY M (ASSUMABLY TO PROCEED TO THE APCH END OF RWY 33 VIA TXWY M IN ORDER TO MEET ONE OF THE OTHER SNOW PLOWS TO PLOW SNOW FROM RWY 33). AS OUR AIRPLANE ACCELERATED TOWARDS V1 SPD, BOTH COCKPIT CREW MEMBERS NOTICED THE SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLE ON WHAT APPEARED TO BE A COLLISION COURSE WITH OUR ACFT AND CONTINUING TOWARDS THE RWY AT A RAPID PACE WITH NO OBVIOUS SIGNS OF STOPPING BEFORE ENTERING THE RWY. AT SOME POINT VERY CLOSE TO OUR V1 SPD, THE DRIVER OF THE SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLE APPEARED TO VERY ABRUPTLY STOP AT A VERY CLOSE DISTANCE FROM THE EDGE OF THE RWY JUST AS WE PASSED BY HIM. WE WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR TKOF PAST HIM UNEVENTFULLY. THE SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLE DRIVER WAS NOT EXERCISING DUE CAUTION AND SAFELY OPERATING HIS VEHICLE GIVEN THE SLIPPERY TXWY CONDITIONS. HIS VEHICLE COULD VERY EASILY HAVE SKIDDED AS HE TRIED TO STOP AND COULD HAVE ENTERED THE RWY JUST IN FRONT OF OUR ACFT JUST AS WE WERE ACCELERATING TO ROTATION SPD. HIS ACTIONS CAUSED BOTH PLTS IN OUR CREW TO FOCUS ON HIM AND THE POTENTIAL FOR COLLISION, AND GREATLY DISTR US FROM OUR PRIMARY DUTIES OF MONITORING OUR ACFT DURING THE MOST CRITICAL MOMENTS OF OUR TKOF. AFTER WE DEPARTED, MY CAPT RADIOED BACK TO THE TWR AND REQUESTED THE SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLE DRIVER BE TOLD THAT WE CONSIDERED HIS ACTIONS UNSAFE, AND RECOMMENDED HE NOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE HIS VEHICLE IN SUCH A MANNER IN THE FUTURE.

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.