An air carrier mechanic reports spraying water on an aircraft's frost covered wing instead of de-ice...

Narrative:

They called for an ice check. My lead called me. I did an ice check. I looked at the time and see it was too early for a check. (1/2 hour before scheduled departure) I went up to talk to the crew. I told them that it just had condensation above the engines; but it was like very light frost and confirmed their departure time in a half hour. The captain said it did just come in from ZZZ and was probably cold soaked. I told them since it's too early for an ice check; I'd come back in 15-20 mins to check again; but it would probably be gone by then. At 10 mins prior I did another ice check and went up to talk to the crew again. I told that the left wing dissipated; but the right wing still had light frost that 'you could write your name in with the ice check wand' and I'd call for a truck. I called for a truck saying that I'd need one and that it was very little; but it was something. Another mechanic brought one over. As he approached the plane I stopped him and showed him that it was billowing coal black smoke. He confirmed that it was lit and heating. He pulled up to the plane and I did both lower wings. When I climbed into the bucket I seen all the scrub pad handles and I stopped him and asked if this was the wash truck. He looked around the cabin attendant and couldn't find anything. I asked him to check the sight gauges; but he couldn't hear me. I hopped out and went to the cabin attendant and looked at the gauges to confirm that they were red and green and it was deice fluid (stained?) then did the uppers. When we finished I called in to report the billowing deice truck problem and that's when someone said it was water only. I replied that the sight gauges were red and green. He repeated that it was water only. The aircraft hadn't yet started to continue push; so I immediately had the maintenance coordinator hold the push while another mechanic went for another truck. I told the guy that I was going to do another ice check. I did it and it was good. I called it in to the coordinator who asked if the water could have gotten rid of ice. I told him that it was steaming and it was merely condensation prior to the spraying and the check was good.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MECHANIC REPORTS SPRAYING WATER ON AN ACFT'S FROST COVERED WING INSTEAD OF DE-ICE FLUID BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE PROPER FLUID.

Narrative: THEY CALLED FOR AN ICE CHK. MY LEAD CALLED ME. I DID AN ICE CHK. I LOOKED AT THE TIME AND SEE IT WAS TOO EARLY FOR A CHK. (1/2 HR BEFORE SCHEDULED DEP) I WENT UP TO TALK TO THE CREW. I TOLD THEM THAT IT JUST HAD CONDENSATION ABOVE THE ENGS; BUT IT WAS LIKE VERY LIGHT FROST AND CONFIRMED THEIR DEP TIME IN A HALF HR. THE CAPT SAID IT DID JUST COME IN FROM ZZZ AND WAS PROBABLY COLD SOAKED. I TOLD THEM SINCE IT'S TOO EARLY FOR AN ICE CHK; I'D COME BACK IN 15-20 MINS TO CHK AGAIN; BUT IT WOULD PROBABLY BE GONE BY THEN. AT 10 MINS PRIOR I DID ANOTHER ICE CHK AND WENT UP TO TALK TO THE CREW AGAIN. I TOLD THAT THE L WING DISSIPATED; BUT THE R WING STILL HAD LIGHT FROST THAT 'YOU COULD WRITE YOUR NAME IN WITH THE ICE CHK WAND' AND I'D CALL FOR A TRUCK. I CALLED FOR A TRUCK SAYING THAT I'D NEED ONE AND THAT IT WAS VERY LITTLE; BUT IT WAS SOMETHING. ANOTHER MECH BROUGHT ONE OVER. AS HE APCHED THE PLANE I STOPPED HIM AND SHOWED HIM THAT IT WAS BILLOWING COAL BLACK SMOKE. HE CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS LIT AND HEATING. HE PULLED UP TO THE PLANE AND I DID BOTH LOWER WINGS. WHEN I CLBED INTO THE BUCKET I SEEN ALL THE SCRUB PAD HANDLES AND I STOPPED HIM AND ASKED IF THIS WAS THE WASH TRUCK. HE LOOKED AROUND THE CAB AND COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. I ASKED HIM TO CHK THE SIGHT GAUGES; BUT HE COULDN'T HEAR ME. I HOPPED OUT AND WENT TO THE CAB AND LOOKED AT THE GAUGES TO CONFIRM THAT THEY WERE RED AND GREEN AND IT WAS DEICE FLUID (STAINED?) THEN DID THE UPPERS. WHEN WE FINISHED I CALLED IN TO RPT THE BILLOWING DEICE TRUCK PROB AND THAT'S WHEN SOMEONE SAID IT WAS WATER ONLY. I REPLIED THAT THE SIGHT GAUGES WERE RED AND GREEN. HE REPEATED THAT IT WAS WATER ONLY. THE ACFT HADN'T YET STARTED TO CONTINUE PUSH; SO I IMMEDIATELY HAD THE MAINT COORDINATOR HOLD THE PUSH WHILE ANOTHER MECH WENT FOR ANOTHER TRUCK. I TOLD THE GUY THAT I WAS GOING TO DO ANOTHER ICE CHK. I DID IT AND IT WAS GOOD. I CALLED IT IN TO THE COORDINATOR WHO ASKED IF THE WATER COULD HAVE GOTTEN RID OF ICE. I TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS STEAMING AND IT WAS MERELY CONDENSATION PRIOR TO THE SPRAYING AND THE CHK WAS GOOD.

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.

Attributes
ACN	737104
Time
Date	200704
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Weather Elements	Ice
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	maintenance : technician
ASRS Report	737104
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure non adherence : company policies
Independent Detector	other other : 1
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Maintenance Human Performance Company Environmental Factor
Primary Problem	Company

An air carrier mechanic reports spraying water on an aircraft's frost covered wing instead of de-ice fluid because he thought it was the proper fluid.