Narrative:

After landing at cos on runway 17R and after slowing to taxi speed turnoff was accomplished at taxiway A5. After approximately 70 degrees of turn the aircraft began to slide straight ahead and all control over nosewheel steering was lost. All braking action was lost and the aircraft slowly slid off the taxiway and came to rest with the left main gear and the nose gear in the grass with the right main gear still on the taxiway. Cos ATIS (1 hour old) was calling conditions calm 8 SM 50 scattered -3/-3 patchy fog with no mention of any problems with surface conditions or braking action. Braking action was good on rollout with a light dusting of snow on the runway with runway markings plainly visible. Taxiway A5 looked the same to us as the runway did and no problems completing turnoff and taxi was anticipated. To prepare the taxiway for our tug to tow us out of the grass it took 2 deice trucks and a sand truck to treat taxiway A5. People were having trouble just walking on the slick surface. If we had been alerted to these conditions prior to landing by tower or ATIS, we would have slowed to a crawl before entering any taxiway as opposed to slowing to a speed consistent with the runway conditions that we found upon landing with tower asking us about braking action. Supplemental information from acn 605639: tower asked us to report on the runway braking conditions and we responded with good. Even though we did not anticipate any problems taxi speed was very slow. I'm not sure if the taxiway had black ice, but personnel on the ground working to pull the aircraft back onto the taxiway talked about how slippery it was just walking. One of our ramp agents also mentioned that the airport authority/authorized often overlooks the west side of the airfield when it comes to clearing the runway and txwys. I think the airport authority/authorized, which should be aware of what various WX phenomenon can do, should be more proactive in checking field conditions when the WX changes. The flight we were on arrived at the same time on a daily basis so the airport should know when to expect an arrival that would trigger an extra field inspection and subsequent clearing actions. I think the taxiway surface was just extraordinarily slick at the time. A caution/warning on ATIS or from the tower would surely help alert us to the potential problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 CREW SLID OFF A TXWY WITH NIL BRAKING ACTION AT COS.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT COS ON RWY 17R AND AFTER SLOWING TO TAXI SPD TURNOFF WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT TXWY A5. AFTER APPROX 70 DEGS OF TURN THE ACFT BEGAN TO SLIDE STRAIGHT AHEAD AND ALL CTL OVER NOSEWHEEL STEERING WAS LOST. ALL BRAKING ACTION WAS LOST AND THE ACFT SLOWLY SLID OFF THE TXWY AND CAME TO REST WITH THE L MAIN GEAR AND THE NOSE GEAR IN THE GRASS WITH THE R MAIN GEAR STILL ON THE TXWY. COS ATIS (1 HR OLD) WAS CALLING CONDITIONS CALM 8 SM 50 SCATTERED -3/-3 PATCHY FOG WITH NO MENTION OF ANY PROBS WITH SURFACE CONDITIONS OR BRAKING ACTION. BRAKING ACTION WAS GOOD ON ROLLOUT WITH A LIGHT DUSTING OF SNOW ON THE RWY WITH RWY MARKINGS PLAINLY VISIBLE. TXWY A5 LOOKED THE SAME TO US AS THE RWY DID AND NO PROBS COMPLETING TURNOFF AND TAXI WAS ANTICIPATED. TO PREPARE THE TXWY FOR OUR TUG TO TOW US OUT OF THE GRASS IT TOOK 2 DEICE TRUCKS AND A SAND TRUCK TO TREAT TXWY A5. PEOPLE WERE HAVING TROUBLE JUST WALKING ON THE SLICK SURFACE. IF WE HAD BEEN ALERTED TO THESE CONDITIONS PRIOR TO LNDG BY TWR OR ATIS, WE WOULD HAVE SLOWED TO A CRAWL BEFORE ENTERING ANY TXWY AS OPPOSED TO SLOWING TO A SPD CONSISTENT WITH THE RWY CONDITIONS THAT WE FOUND UPON LNDG WITH TWR ASKING US ABOUT BRAKING ACTION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 605639: TWR ASKED US TO RPT ON THE RWY BRAKING CONDITIONS AND WE RESPONDED WITH GOOD. EVEN THOUGH WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE ANY PROBS TAXI SPD WAS VERY SLOW. I'M NOT SURE IF THE TXWY HAD BLACK ICE, BUT PERSONNEL ON THE GND WORKING TO PULL THE ACFT BACK ONTO THE TXWY TALKED ABOUT HOW SLIPPERY IT WAS JUST WALKING. ONE OF OUR RAMP AGENTS ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE ARPT AUTH OFTEN OVERLOOKS THE W SIDE OF THE AIRFIELD WHEN IT COMES TO CLRING THE RWY AND TXWYS. I THINK THE ARPT AUTH, WHICH SHOULD BE AWARE OF WHAT VARIOUS WX PHENOMENON CAN DO, SHOULD BE MORE PROACTIVE IN CHKING FIELD CONDITIONS WHEN THE WX CHANGES. THE FLT WE WERE ON ARRIVED AT THE SAME TIME ON A DAILY BASIS SO THE ARPT SHOULD KNOW WHEN TO EXPECT AN ARR THAT WOULD TRIGGER AN EXTRA FIELD INSPECTION AND SUBSEQUENT CLRING ACTIONS. I THINK THE TXWY SURFACE WAS JUST EXTRAORDINARILY SLICK AT THE TIME. A CAUTION/WARNING ON ATIS OR FROM THE TWR WOULD SURELY HELP ALERT US TO THE POTENTIAL PROB.

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.