Narrative:

The aircraft was fueled for a 4 hour flight. During his preflight the first officer noticed that environmental ice was forming under the wing in the area of the fuel cell at an accumulation of greater than 1/2 inch. 1/8 of an inch is the maximum allowed. We called maintenance and informed them that we would need to be deiced after push and that we needed another logbook since we only had 1 page left. After waiting 5 mins past push time we called maintenance again and said that we would go without the extra logbook and pushed for the deice. A maintenance technician came out to our airplane about 5 mins later with a stick used for detecting ice on the MD80. He walked to the wings area and reappeared at my window with a step ladder. He handed me the extra logbook and told me that I was good to go because it's ok to have frost under the wing. I expressed my concern about the depth of the frost and he again assured me that it was okay to go. I looked back at the wing to see if I could see under it and discovered that we now had frost on the top of the wing. I told him it no longer mattered because we now have frost on top of the wing and will need to be deiced. He proceeded to tell me that it was ok to take off with frost on the wing. I told him it was not. He explained to me that 'you can't take off with ice on the wings but frost is ok.' I then closed the window and called maintenance on the radio twice with no answer. I called operations twice with no answer. At this point my frustration with the lack of compliance had grown to a point that I called dispatch. They answered. I told them that they were trying to dispatch me with an aircraft that has frost on the wings and felt that it was bull... We then got a call from maintenance and was asked if we needed to be deiced. I confirmed that we did indeed. Dispatch then called and told me he had the fodo on the line and wanted me to call them on a land line. I explained that we were already pushed back yet he wanted me to get off the airplane and call him. I had the jetway brought back up to the aircraft and found the phone number and called dispatch. The chief dispatcher told me he had the fodo on the line and he was dropping off. I discovered that the fodo had been called not because they were trying to dispatch me with frost on the wings but because I had used an expletive over the radio. I mention this only as it is an indication to me that appears to be a culture that is more concerned about getting a captain in trouble for using an expletive over the radio than there is for the safe and efficient operation of aircraft. We were further delayed for this. The fodo was not informed that we had a problem with a maintenance technician.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-700 FLT CREW HAS FROST AND ICE ON THE WINGS; REFUSES TO TAKE ACFT UNTIL DEICED AT SEA.

Narrative: THE ACFT WAS FUELED FOR A 4 HR FLT. DURING HIS PREFLT THE FO NOTICED THAT ENVIRONMENTAL ICE WAS FORMING UNDER THE WING IN THE AREA OF THE FUEL CELL AT AN ACCUMULATION OF GREATER THAN 1/2 INCH. 1/8 OF AN INCH IS THE MAX ALLOWED. WE CALLED MAINT AND INFORMED THEM THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BE DEICED AFTER PUSH AND THAT WE NEEDED ANOTHER LOGBOOK SINCE WE ONLY HAD 1 PAGE LEFT. AFTER WAITING 5 MINS PAST PUSH TIME WE CALLED MAINT AGAIN AND SAID THAT WE WOULD GO WITHOUT THE EXTRA LOGBOOK AND PUSHED FOR THE DEICE. A MAINT TECHNICIAN CAME OUT TO OUR AIRPLANE ABOUT 5 MINS LATER WITH A STICK USED FOR DETECTING ICE ON THE MD80. HE WALKED TO THE WINGS AREA AND REAPPEARED AT MY WINDOW WITH A STEP LADDER. HE HANDED ME THE EXTRA LOGBOOK AND TOLD ME THAT I WAS GOOD TO GO BECAUSE IT'S OK TO HAVE FROST UNDER THE WING. I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN ABOUT THE DEPTH OF THE FROST AND HE AGAIN ASSURED ME THAT IT WAS OKAY TO GO. I LOOKED BACK AT THE WING TO SEE IF I COULD SEE UNDER IT AND DISCOVERED THAT WE NOW HAD FROST ON THE TOP OF THE WING. I TOLD HIM IT NO LONGER MATTERED BECAUSE WE NOW HAVE FROST ON TOP OF THE WING AND WILL NEED TO BE DEICED. HE PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT IT WAS OK TO TAKE OFF WITH FROST ON THE WING. I TOLD HIM IT WAS NOT. HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT 'YOU CAN'T TAKE OFF WITH ICE ON THE WINGS BUT FROST IS OK.' I THEN CLOSED THE WINDOW AND CALLED MAINT ON THE RADIO TWICE WITH NO ANSWER. I CALLED OPS TWICE WITH NO ANSWER. AT THIS POINT MY FRUSTRATION WITH THE LACK OF COMPLIANCE HAD GROWN TO A POINT THAT I CALLED DISPATCH. THEY ANSWERED. I TOLD THEM THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DISPATCH ME WITH AN ACFT THAT HAS FROST ON THE WINGS AND FELT THAT IT WAS BULL... WE THEN GOT A CALL FROM MAINT AND WAS ASKED IF WE NEEDED TO BE DEICED. I CONFIRMED THAT WE DID INDEED. DISPATCH THEN CALLED AND TOLD ME HE HAD THE FODO ON THE LINE AND WANTED ME TO CALL THEM ON A LAND LINE. I EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE ALREADY PUSHED BACK YET HE WANTED ME TO GET OFF THE AIRPLANE AND CALL HIM. I HAD THE JETWAY BROUGHT BACK UP TO THE ACFT AND FOUND THE PHONE NUMBER AND CALLED DISPATCH. THE CHIEF DISPATCHER TOLD ME HE HAD THE FODO ON THE LINE AND HE WAS DROPPING OFF. I DISCOVERED THAT THE FODO HAD BEEN CALLED NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE TRYING TO DISPATCH ME WITH FROST ON THE WINGS BUT BECAUSE I HAD USED AN EXPLETIVE OVER THE RADIO. I MENTION THIS ONLY AS IT IS AN INDICATION TO ME THAT APPEARS TO BE A CULTURE THAT IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING A CAPT IN TROUBLE FOR USING AN EXPLETIVE OVER THE RADIO THAN THERE IS FOR THE SAFE AND EFFICIENT OP OF ACFT. WE WERE FURTHER DELAYED FOR THIS. THE FODO WAS NOT INFORMED THAT WE HAD A PROB WITH A MAINT TECHNICIAN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.