MLG ON LNDG ROLL OUT SIGHTS SNOW REMOVAL EQUIPMENT ON END OF RWY.

Narrative

ACFT WAS CLRED FOR LNDG ON ABE RWY 6 WHILE INBOUND ON THE ILS RWY 6 APCH. BRAKING ACTION WAS RPTED GOOD WITH PATCHES OF ICE ON RWY. RWY 6 WAS TREATED WITH SAND AND CHEMICALS. UPON TOUCHDOWN ON RWY 6; FLC NOTICED A SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLE DRIVE ON TO THE RWY L TO R AT OR NEAR THE DEP END OF THE RWY. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT STOPPING THE ACFT WAS THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION. THE CAPT SUBSEQUENTLY COMMANDED THE FO TO STOP THE ACFT. SIMULTANEOUSLY THE TWR MADE A XMISSION; WARNING THE FLC OF THE TRUCK. THE ACFT WAS STOPPED IN MINIMAL DISTANCE USING AUTOBRAKES (MEDIUM SELECTED) AND REVERSE THRUST. AUTOBRAKES WERE DESELECTED AT APPROX 80 TO 90 KTS AND MANUAL BRAKING WAS USED TO BRING THE ACFT TO TAXI SPD. THE ACFT MADE AN UNEVENTFUL EXIT OFF AT TXWY ECHO. THE ACFT WAS NEVER IN DANGER OF IMPACTING THE VEHICLE. NO EXTREME BRAKING WAS REQUIRED. THE CAPT DID NOT FEEL IT NECESSARY TO ASSUME CTL OF THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENT XMISSIONS WITH THE TWR REVEALED THAT THE SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLE IN QUESTION DID NOT HAVE A MEANS OF MONITORING OR COMMUNICATING WITH TWR FREQ. A COMMAND VEHICLE WHO WAS IN COM WITH TWR WAS SUPPOSED TO COORD THE MOVEMENTS OF ALL SNOW REMOVAL EQUIPMENT. AIR CREW COMMENTS: LUCKILY; DUE TO THE RELATIVELY LIGHT ACFT WT; THE DEP END POS OF THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION; THE GOOD BRAKING CONDITIONS ON RWY 6; A COLLISION WITH THE SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLE WAS NOT A REAL DANGER. HOWEVER HAD THE VEHICLE ENTERED THE RWY IN THE FIRST HALF OF RWY 6; OR HAD BRAKING CONDITIONS AND ACFT WT CONTRIBUTED TO A LONGER ROLL OUT; CERTAINLY A COLLISION MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. ABE SNOW REMOVAL CREWS NEED FURTHER TRAINING AND AT LEAST A MEANS OF MONITORING TWR FREQ IN EVERY VEHICLE.