B737-700 FO CITES CONCERNS WITH TANKERING FUEL; THE ASSOCIATED FROST-ICE ISSUES AS WELL AS POORLY TRAINED RAMP PERSONNEL TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES.

Date: 2006-04 · Aircraft: B737-700 · Phase: ground

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-deicing-procs

Synopsis

B737-700 FO CITES CONCERNS WITH TANKERING FUEL; THE ASSOCIATED FROST-ICE ISSUES AS WELL AS POORLY TRAINED RAMP PERSONNEL TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES.

Narrative

DISPATCH HAD FLT INBOUND TO ONT TAKE LOAD PERMITTING FUEL. WE LANDED IN ONT WITH MINIMUM FUEL FOR THE RETURN FLT TO ZZZ. NO FUEL WAS NEEDED. ON THE WALKAROUND; I NOTICED FROST ON THE BOTTOM OF THE WINGS EXTENDING 1/2 WAY OUT TO THE WINGTIP. UPON ENTERING THE ACFT; I WALKED TO THE EMER EXIT ROW TO INSPECT THE TOP OF THE WINGS. THERE WAS ICE ON THE TOP OF THE WINGS EXTENDING 1/2 WAY OUT TO THE WINGTIP. WE CALLED ONT OPS AND NOTIFIED THEM OF THE NEED FOR DEICING. AS THE FRONT DOOR WAS CLOSED FOR PUSH; I NOTICED THE GND CREW PUTTING THE DEICE MACHINE AWAY. THE MACHINE WAS SMALL; HAND TOWED AND DIDN'T LOOK AT ALL ADEQUATE TO DO THE JOB. WHEN THE GND CREW GOT ON THE HEADSET WE INQUIRED IF THEY HAD DEICED THE TOP OF THE WINGS. THEY REPLIED 'NO; DID YOU NEED THAT?' WE TOLD THEM YES; AND THEY PULLED THE DEICE CART BACK TO THE PLANE. I OPENED MY WINDOW TO WATCH THEM AND NOTICED 1 AGENT CLBING THE LADDER AND THEN STANDING ON TOP OF THE WING. I WATCHED AS HE TRIED TO SPRAY THE FLUID OUT TOWARD THE WINGTIP. IT WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 10 FT. HE GOT DOWN AND THEY PROCEEDED TO THE OTHER WING. WE ASKED FOR THE JETWAY TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE ACFT BECAUSE I KNEW THE JOB COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE PROPERLY. BY THE TIME WE GOT OUT OF THE ACFT; THE GND CREW SAID THEY HAD COMPLETED THE OTHER WING. I GOT A LADDER AND CLBED UP TO LOOK. THERE WAS STILL ICE AT LEAST 6 FT OUT BEYOND WHERE THEY HAD STOPPED. IT TOOK THE CAPT AND I TO TELL THEM TO GET BACK UP THERE AND CONTINUE SPRAYING FOR THEM TO DO IT. THERE SEEMED TO BE NO ONE TRAINED IN WHAT IS REQUIRED. THEY HAD TO USE A BELT LOADER WITH THE FRONT END UP ALL THE WAY TO STAND ON BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ADEQUATE LADDER OR CHERRY PICKER. IF WE HAD TRUSTED THEM TO DO IT WITHOUT OUR IMMEDIATE SUPERVISION THEY WOULD HAVE 1) PUSHED US WITHOUT DOING THE TOP OF THE WING; 2) PUSHED US WITH AT LEAST 6 FT OF ICE ON TOP OF BOTH WINGS. PREVENTIVE MEASURES: HAVE DISPATCH CONSIDER THE BENEFIT OF TANKERING FUEL WHEN IT REQUIRES DEICING BECAUSE OF THE TANKERING. PROVIDE ALL STATIONS THE NECESSARY EQUIP TO DEICE ACFT PROPERLY. HAVE TRAINED PERSONNEL THAT CAN BE TRUSTED TO DO IT CORRECTLY.

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