A COMMUTER AT72 CAPT RPTS A CONFLICT BTWN COMPANY ICING POLICY AND MANUFACTURER'S INFO. RPTR'S GRAPHIC ALSO INDICATES THAT THE COMPANY DIRECTS PLT RESPONSE TO ENCOUNTERING FREEZING RAIN AS PRIORITY VERSUS AN EMER; BUT THE SEVERE ICING PROC IS CONTAINED IN THE EMER CHKLIST.

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IN EARLY JAN/97 OUR COMPANY ISSUED A FLT MANUAL INFO BULLETIN THAT IS CONFUSING AND MISLEADING. EXAMPLES ARE FOLLOWING. THE COMPANY IS REQUIRING US TO CARRY AN ATR OPS BROCHURE; PUBLISHED BY ATR IN OCT/95. THIS DOCUMENT; FORMALLY CALLED 'ALL WX OPS' SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT ATR'S ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FLY IN FREEZING DRIZZLE OR RAIN. USING PIREPS FROM ANOTHER ATR MAY BE FINE; BUT THE MEMO MAKES IT SOUND LIKE ANY ACFT RPT CAN BE USED (IE; A B757 WITH A 10-25+ RAM TEMP RISE?). UNLESS A PIREP IS FROM ANOTHER ATR; IT IS OF NO USE TO ANOTHER ATR. AND EVEN THEN; WHAT IN THE WORLD IS AN ATR DOING STARTING AN APCH INTO WX CONDITIONS BEYOND THE CERTIFICATION LIMITS OF THE ACFT. I WOULD NOT PLACE VERY MUCH FAITH IN SUCH A PERSON'S JUDGEMENT; OR PIREP. THE COMPANY STATES THAT FREEZING RAIN AND DRIZZLE MAY NOT BE SEVERE. IF WE ENCOUNTER IT; HOWEVER; WE HAVE TO IMMEDIATELY LEAVE IT; FITTING THE AIM SEVERE ICE DESCRIPTION. THE SEVERE ICING PROC IS IN OUR EMER CHKLISTS AND USING THE SEVERE ICING CHKLIST IS AN EMER SIT. ALSO; NEITHER I NOR ANY OTHER COMPANY PLT HAS RECEIVED TRAINING OR BEEN CERTIFIED TO MAKE WX RPTS. PLEASE NOTE THE BULLETIN DISCUSSED IS ON A COLOR OF PAPER WHICH AT OUR COMPANY MEANS THE BULLETIN IS ADVISORY IN NATURE AND WAS NOT APPROVED BY THE FAA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPT SUBMISSION WAS PROMPTED BY DISPATCHER PRESSURE REGARDING THIS CAPT'S DECISION TO DIVERT WHEN THE DEST; ORD; WAS RPTING FREEZING RAIN. DURING DSCNT; THIS RPTR WAS TOLD THAT ANOTHER COMPANY ATR HAD LANDED AT ORD. THIS CAPT CONTINUED TO DIVERT TO MKE IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT HAD CONTINUED; CHOOSING TO RELY ON HIS OWN INTERP OF THE RISKS INVOLVED. THIS RPTR FELT THAT THE OTHER FLC DID NOT USE GOOD JUDGEMENT.