Narrative:

I was captain/PNF of this flight. There was light snow falling throughout our operation. My first officer and I observed substantial amounts of snow and ice on the airplane including the upper fuselage. We configured the airplane for de-ice and I used the terminal windows as a mirror to observe the de-ice procedures in progress. The de-ice crew advised us that de-icing had been completed. I could plainly see that the upper fuselage was 'covered' with snow and ice! I opened my cockpit window and reached out to grab a 'handful' of snow and ice; which was very hard to break free from the upper skin of the airplane. At this point my first officer and I became extremely concerned to say the least. I had my first officer call operations to no avail. We obtained a phone patch to dispatch. I advised them to have operations call us on VHF. Dispatch also told me that he would advise the station manager of the company's 'clean aircraft policy.' I terminated the phone patch with dispatch and then made a phone call to the operations duty manager. I gave him a full briefing of the severity of the situation and the urgency of ensuring that no other airplanes would depart with contaminants on any surface of their airplanes. The duty manager concurred with me and said he would get right on it. Operations called us on VHF and I advised them of the situation. I had them de-ice the whole airplane. We completed de-ice procedures and had an uneventful flight. In closing; had the sunlight been any less or we had been out of sight of the terminal windows; the failure to de-ice the entire airplane would have not been observed and acted upon by this crew and that this report very well may not have ever been written! I am gravely concerned that a de-ice crew would not fully understand the clean aircraft policy. Due to the severity of this situation; I sincerely hope that this information be disseminated to all de-ice crews system wide.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757-200 CAPTAIN REPORTS INCOMPLETE DE-ICING BY COMPANY DE-ICING GND CREW.

Narrative: I WAS CAPT/PNF OF THIS FLT. THERE WAS LIGHT SNOW FALLING THROUGHOUT OUR OP. MY FO AND I OBSERVED SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND ICE ON THE AIRPLANE INCLUDING THE UPPER FUSELAGE. WE CONFIGURED THE AIRPLANE FOR DE-ICE AND I USED THE TERMINAL WINDOWS AS A MIRROR TO OBSERVE THE DE-ICE PROCS IN PROGRESS. THE DE-ICE CREW ADVISED US THAT DE-ICING HAD BEEN COMPLETED. I COULD PLAINLY SEE THAT THE UPPER FUSELAGE WAS 'COVERED' WITH SNOW AND ICE! I OPENED MY COCKPIT WINDOW AND REACHED OUT TO GRAB A 'HANDFUL' OF SNOW AND ICE; WHICH WAS VERY HARD TO BREAK FREE FROM THE UPPER SKIN OF THE AIRPLANE. AT THIS POINT MY FO AND I BECAME EXTREMELY CONCERNED TO SAY THE LEAST. I HAD MY FO CALL OPS TO NO AVAIL. WE OBTAINED A PHONE PATCH TO DISPATCH. I ADVISED THEM TO HAVE OPS CALL US ON VHF. DISPATCH ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD ADVISE THE STATION MGR OF THE COMPANY'S 'CLEAN ACFT POLICY.' I TERMINATED THE PHONE PATCH WITH DISPATCH AND THEN MADE A PHONE CALL TO THE OPS DUTY MGR. I GAVE HIM A FULL BRIEFING OF THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION AND THE URGENCY OF ENSURING THAT NO OTHER AIRPLANES WOULD DEPART WITH CONTAMINANTS ON ANY SURFACE OF THEIR AIRPLANES. THE DUTY MGR CONCURRED WITH ME AND SAID HE WOULD GET RIGHT ON IT. OPS CALLED US ON VHF AND I ADVISED THEM OF THE SITUATION. I HAD THEM DE-ICE THE WHOLE AIRPLANE. WE COMPLETED DE-ICE PROCS AND HAD AN UNEVENTFUL FLT. IN CLOSING; HAD THE SUNLIGHT BEEN ANY LESS OR WE HAD BEEN OUT OF SIGHT OF THE TERMINAL WINDOWS; THE FAILURE TO DE-ICE THE ENTIRE AIRPLANE WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN OBSERVED AND ACTED UPON BY THIS CREW AND THAT THIS REPORT VERY WELL MAY NOT HAVE EVER BEEN WRITTEN! I AM GRAVELY CONCERNED THAT A DE-ICE CREW WOULD NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND THE CLEAN ACFT POLICY. DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THIS SITUATION; I SINCERELY HOPE THAT THIS INFO BE DISSEMINATED TO ALL DE-ICE CREWS SYS WIDE.

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.