Narrative:

The aircraft weight was 113;000 pounds and the stabilizer trim setting was 3.7. 54 passengers were on board. Only 2 were in first class. There were several inches of snow on the ground as well as snow and ice on the ramp; taxiways; and the runways. While taxiing to runway xxl; the tower cleared us for an 'expedite' takeoff due to traffic on final for runway xy. As we entered the runway; the captain pushed the throttles forward. I noticed that the right engine accelerated rapidly to approximately 1.4 EPR while the left engine remained at idle power. As the aircraft approached the centerline of the runway; I noticed that the aircraft was not turning to align with the runway heading. I alerted the captain to the situation and looked over to see if he was ok. He retarded the throttles to idle; turned the nosewheel steering further to right and began to apply the brakes. The aircraft slid off the left side of the runway at a low speed. The aircraft stopped the runway edge and the distance remaining markers. I believe the incident was caused by ice on the runway. The low weight on the nosewheel and asymmetric thrust due to slow acceleration of the left engine were contributing factors. I recommend loading the aircraft with a greater forward center of gravity when snow or ice exist on the airport. I also recommend that the ground and tower controllers be prohibited from issuing 'expedite' clearances when ice and snow are on the airport.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 flight crew reports runway excursion while attempting to expedite takeoff at towers request with icy runway conditions.

Narrative: The aircraft weight was 113;000 LBS and the STAB trim setting was 3.7. 54 passengers were on board. Only 2 were in First Class. There were several inches of snow on the ground as well as snow and ice on the ramp; taxiways; and the runways. While taxiing to Runway XXL; the Tower cleared us for an 'expedite' takeoff due to traffic on final for Runway XY. As we entered the runway; the Captain pushed the throttles forward. I noticed that the right engine accelerated rapidly to approximately 1.4 EPR while the left engine remained at idle power. As the aircraft approached the centerline of the runway; I noticed that the aircraft was not turning to align with the runway heading. I alerted the Captain to the situation and looked over to see if he was OK. He retarded the throttles to idle; turned the nosewheel steering further to right and began to apply the brakes. The aircraft slid off the left side of the runway at a low speed. The aircraft stopped the runway edge and the distance remaining markers. I believe the incident was caused by ice on the runway. The low weight on the nosewheel and asymmetric thrust due to slow acceleration of the left engine were contributing factors. I recommend loading the aircraft with a greater forward center of gravity when snow or ice exist on the airport. I also recommend that the ground and tower controllers be prohibited from issuing 'expedite' clearances when ice and snow are on the airport.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.