WHILE EXITING LNDG RWY; MLG SLID OFF THE TXWY CLOSING THE ARPT FOR 5 HRS.

Narrative

I LANDED ON RWY 31R. TURNING OFF ON TXWY D5; GLARE ICE WAS ENCOUNTERED AND THE ACFT SLID OFF THE NW SIDE OF D5. THE GND WAS HARD-FROZEN AND SMOOTH; THUS THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR ARPT FACILITIES; AND NO INJURIES TO PAX OR CREW. THE ARPT WAS CLOSED APPROX 5 HRS WHILE GND VEHICLES TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO MOVE THE ACFT ON THE SLIPPERY SURFACE. APCHING THE DSM AREA; THE ATIS WAS COPIED AS '600 OVCST; VISIBILITY 3 IN LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND FOG. TEMP 30 DEGS; WIND 050/12. APCH IS USE: ILS RWY 31R; BRAKING ACTION FAIR/POOR.' THE ACFT LNDG AHEAD RPTED 'BRAKING ACTION FAIR.' AFTER A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG; I JUDGED THE BRAKING ACTION AS FAIR ON RWY 31R AND SLOWED FOR A CAREFUL TURNOFF AT D5; 7500 FT DOWN THE 9000 FT RWY. AFTER THE NOSE HAD TURNED ABOUT 60 DEGS OFF THE RWY HDG ONTO D5; THE NOSEWHEEL BEGAN TO SCUFF SIDEWAYS ON GLARE ICE; AND SIMULTANEOUSLY MAIN GEAR BRAKING ACTION BECAME NON-EXISTENT. REVERSE THRUST WAS INEFFECTIVE SINCE THE ACFT WAS SLIDING SIDEWAYS WHILE SLOWLY WXCOCKING INTO THE WIND. INFO THE FLC HAD TO WORK WITH WAS TOO UNTIMELY. THE GOOD VISIBILITY AND CEILING DID NOT SUGGEST A BUILD- UP OF GLARE ICE HAD OCCURRED. THE BRAKING OF 'FAIR/POOR' AND ACFT RPT OF 'FAIR' SUGGESTS CAUTION IS ADVISED BUT NOT THAT THE RWY IS THE ONLY USABLE SURFACE ON THE ARPT. THE WX DOCUMENT SHOWED TXWY D5 AS HAVING THE BEST BRAKING ACTION (POOR) OF ALL OTHER TXWYS LISTED. ON ROLLOUT; THE TWR INSTRUCTED 'TURN R AT D5.' NO WARNING WAS GIVEN THAT THE TXWYS BEYOND D4 TO THE NW WERE COVERED WITH 1/4 INCH OF SMOOTH GLAZE ICE AND HAD NOT BEEN TREATED. IN THE DUSK THERE WAS NOT LIGHT ENOUGH TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN SURFACE BTWN THE RWY CTR (BRAKING ACTION FAIR) AND THE TXWYS (BRAKING ACTION NIL). UNDER WORSENING CONDITIONS OBVIOUS TO THE ARPT AUTHORITIES; A MAX EFFORT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE TO INFORM ARRIVING ACFT THAT BRAKING ACTION HAD DETERIORATED DUE TO CONTINUING FREEZING PRECIPITATION; AND THAT NO ACTION HAD BEEN TAKEN TO TREAT MOST OPERATING SURFACES OTHER THAN THE RWY. ARRIVING ACFT DEPEND ENTIRELY ON TIMELY RPTS FROM THE AUTHORITIES ON THE ARPT FOR INFO CONCERNING OPERATIONAL DANGERS THAT HAVE THE CHARACTERISTIC OF CHANGING DRAMATICALLY WITH TIME. I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY FAILURE OF THE ARPT AUTHORITIES TO WARN THE TWR THAT CONDITIONS HAD RENDERED CERTAIN AREAS OF THE ARPT UNUSABLE. THE TWR ACTUALLY DIRECTED THE ACFT TO USE A TXWY WITH 0 TRACTION. IN VIEW OF THE OBVIOUS FREEZING RAIN CONDITIONS; FREQUENT FIELD INSPECTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AND THE RESULTS PASSED ON TO LCL CTLRS. THEREFORE; ACFT MAKING AN APCH TO DSM COULD HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE BY TWR OR APCH CTL THAT SOME TXWYS WERE UNUSABLE. 2 OTHER ACFT HAVE HAD SIMILAR INCIDENTS WITHIN THE PAST MONTH AT DSM. THIS SUGGESTS TO ME A FAILURE IN PROPERLY MONITORING AND RPTING HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS AT DSM.