AN ACR CAPT REGRETS THAT OTHER ACR PLTS CANNOT RPT ICING PROPERLY IN THEIR REQUIRED PIREPS.
Synopsis
AN ACR CAPT REGRETS THAT OTHER ACR PLTS CANNOT RPT ICING PROPERLY IN THEIR REQUIRED PIREPS.
Narrative
WHILE AWAITING TKOF; WITH ACFT LNDG AND DEPARTING; CONFUSION AROSE OVER RPTS OF ICING ON DEP. ALL OF US ON FREQ HEARD 'THERE ARE NO OFFICIAL RPTS OF SEVERE ICING.' MODERATE ICING WAS MENTIONED. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF WITH NO MENTION OF ICING AT ALL FROM THE TWR CTLR. ON DEP; WE PIREP OF LIGHT ICING; AS DID OTHER ACFT. LATER I HEARD THAT PLTS WERE RPTING SEVERE ICING ON APCH TO CLEVELAND; THEN WERE LNDG WITH NO ICE ON THEIR ACFT. SEVERE ICING IS DEFINED BY OUR OPS MANUAL AS 'UNABLE TO CTL THE ACCUMULATION WITH ANTI-ICE/DEICE EQUIP AND INFLT DIVERSION IS REQUIRED.' OBVIOUSLY; AS THE ACFT DID NOT DIVERT; THERE WAS NO SEVERE ICING. I FEEL THAT INVALID METEOROLOGICAL RPTS ARE HAZARDOUS AS THEY COULD; IN THIS CASE; REQUIRE ACFT FOLLOWING TO DIVERT PRIOR TO ENTERING SEVERE DEICING CONDITIONS; AND PERHAPS CAUSE LOW FUEL PROBS AT ALTERNATES. I WOULD RECOMMEND ATC INQUIRE SIMPLY 'IS THE ICE ACCUMULATION CTLABLE AND ARE YOU REQUIRING A DIVERT?' THEN THEY COULD RPT; ACCURATELY; IF SEVERE OR MODERATE. OF COURSE; PLTS NEED TO BE MORE PRECISE IN THIS RPTING ALSO.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.