AN ACR PILOT COMPLAINS THAT CONTRACT GND SVC PERSONNEL REPORTED FROST AS WATER DURING A PREFLT ATTEMPTING TO AVOID DEICING THE ACFT.

Narrative

DEICING WAS REQUESTED DURING PREFLT IN SJC DUE TO FROST ON WINGS AND HORIZ STABILIZER. WX WAS CLR; WINDS CALM; TEMP 2 DEGS C. RATHER THAN DEICE AIRPLANE; GND CREW USED WING WAND TO CONDUCT THEIR OWN ICE CHK. GND CREW THEN RPTED NO FROST ON WINGS -- ONLY WATER. CAPT EXITED ACFT AND HAD LADDERS OBTAINED TO RECHK WINGS AND HORIZ STABILIZER. ALL SURFACES HAD SIGNIFICANT FROST AND NEEDED DEICING. DISCUSSION WAS HAD THAT GND CREW ONLY HAD LIMITED DEICING EQUIP AND WOULD HAVE TO BORROW EQUIP IF THE FUSELAGE OR TAIL WOULD HAVE TO BE DEICED. EVENTUALLY; GND CREW USED LADDERS IN ORDER TO ACCESS AND DEICE WINGS AND HORIZ STABILIZER WITH THE SMALL EQUIP THEY HAD ON HAND. MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN! GND CREW WAS UNPREPARED FOR DEICING AND THEN MISREPORTED THE ICING CHK TO CREW WHEN ASKED TO DEICE AIRPLANE. IF FLT CREW HAD ACCEPTED THEIR WORD; AIRPLANE WOULD HAVE TAKEN OFF IN UNSAFE CONDITION. GND CREW SHOULD DEICE WHEN REQUESTED. WHEN IT IS CLR AND COLD; OPS SHOULD CONSIDER PRE-DEICING. GND CREW RPTED FROST ON WINGS WAS 'ONLY WATER' IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID PERFORMING REQUESTED DEICE OF AIRPLANE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED THAT HIS ACFT TYPE WAS A B737. THE CONTRACT PERSONNEL INVOLVED WERE NOT MECHANICS AND FUNCTIONED SOLELY AS GND SERVICE WORKERS.