AN ACR DC9 FLC FLYING INTO A SNOW COVERED ARPT FINDS THAT THERE IS SNOW REMOVAL EQUIP ON THE RWY WHEN THEY BREAK OUT OF THE CLOUDS. THE EQUIP CLRED BEFORE THEY LANDED.

Date: 1997-12 · Aircraft: DC-9 Undifferentiated or Other Model

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

AN ACR DC9 FLC FLYING INTO A SNOW COVERED ARPT FINDS THAT THERE IS SNOW REMOVAL EQUIP ON THE RWY WHEN THEY BREAK OUT OF THE CLOUDS. THE EQUIP CLRED BEFORE THEY LANDED.

Narrative

FO INITIALLY FLYING. JUST BEFORE CTR CLRED US FOR AN ILS APCH TO RWY 11 IN MSO; WE HEARD A COMMUTER GIVE A BRAKING RPT AS POOR. I BEGAN THE APCH; BUT WAS GETTING A COMPUTER STEERING FLAG; GOT A LITTLE TOO INVOLVED WITH PROB; WENT ABOVE GS. I GAVE THE AIRPLANE TO THE CAPT. HE CONNECTED OUR FLT DATA AND MADE A COUPLED APCH. I WAS A LITTLE LATE IN MAKING XMISSION IN THE BLIND ON 118.4. WE WERE INSIDE 5 MI FROM TOUCHDOWN WHEN WE BROKE OUT AROUND 1300 FT AGL; AND WE COULD SEE SOMEONE ON THE RWY. I MADE 2 CALLS ON 118.4 AS WE THOUGHT IT WAS AN ACFT. IT WAS SNOW REMOVAL EQUIP AND THEY DID CLR THE RWY AS WE WERE PREPARED FOR A GAR. UNEVENTFUL LNDG WITH POOR BRAKING WHICH WE WERE PREPARED FOR. WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OF SNOW REMOVAL IN PROGRESS. ATCT WAS CLOSED; UNICOM WAS UNMONITORED; THERE WAS A NOTAM OUT ABOUT SNOW REMOVAL AND PRIOR CLRNC WAS NEEDED TO LAND ON 118.4. WE NEVER GOT THIS NOTAM; IT WAS NOT IN OUR COMPANY NOTAMS. THE ARPT COP WAS WORKING MONITORING 118.4 AND THEN HE WAS COORDINATING THE SNOW REMOVAL AND WOULD ADVISE EQUIP TO GET OFF RWY. OUR STATION PERSONNEL DID NOT ADVISE ARPT COP THAT WE WERE INBOUND AND WE DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS SNOW REMOVAL EQUIP ON RWY. THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE PRACTICE FOR SCHEDULED ACR OP INTO A MOUNTAIN STATION WITH THE FAA CTL TWR CLOSED.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.