AN A 320 PILOT REPORTS TKOF WITH ICE PELLETS AND SNOW FALLING BUT WITHOUT A DE-ICE/HOLDOVER CHECKLIST TO COVER THE EXISTING CONDITIONS.

Narrative

WE DE-ICED AT THE GATE DUE TO LIGHT ICE PELLETS AND MODERATE SNOW. ACCORDING TO THE DE-ICE FORM/CHKLIST WE USE; YOU MUST USE TYPE 4 FLUID FOR ANY ICE PELLETS AND TKOF MUST BEGIN WITHIN 25 MINS OF THE START OF THE TYPE 4 APPLICATION. IT TOOK THE DE-ICE CREW 19 MINS TO DE-ICE WITH TYPE 4; SO WE ONLY HAD 6 MINS TO MEET THE HOLDOVER TIME. THE OTHER PROB WAS THAT THERE ARE NO CHARTS FOR HOLDOVER TIMES FOR MIXED PRECIP (IE; ICE PELLETS AND SNOW). SO WE WERE NOT LEGAL AS THERE WAS NO HOLDOVER TIME PUBLISHED FOR THE MIXED PRECIP. CAPT SAID IT APPEARED TO ONLY BE SNOW FALLING; EVEN THOUGH ATIS RECORD SPECIALS KEPT RPTING ICE PELLETS AND SNOW. WE MET THE HOLDOVER TIME FOR THE ICE PELLETS; BUT SHOULD HAVE WAITED FOR PRECIP TO CHANGE TO ONE OR THE OTHER SO WE COULD APPROPRIATELY MEET THE HOLDOVER TIME FOR THE TYPE OF ICING RPTED. I TOLD THE CAPT WE SHOULD NOT TAKE OFF AND DELAY OR HAVE THE COMPANY CANCEL THE FLT AS WE WERE AT THE BEGINNING OF A LARGE WINTER STORM APCHING CHICAGO. HE SAID 'WE ARE GOING -- IF WE WAIT; WE WILL NEVER GET OUT OF HERE.' I OBJECTED; BUT HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE ANYWAY AND TKOF. BIGGEST FACTOR -- GET-HOMEITIS BY CAPT. 2ND FACTOR -- INABILITY TO UNDERSTAND NEW DE-ICE CHKLIST/HOLDOVER TIMES. 3RD FACTOR -- INADEQUATE TRAINING OF NEW FOM. 4TH FACTOR -- INABILITY OF CAPT TO ACCEPT SUGGESTIONS FROM HIS CREW.