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Quickstoppers: Wild Ride

  • Published
  • By Maj Jen Yates
  • HQ AMC/SEF
Winter 2013/2014 --  Have you ever slid on ice while driving? Possibly even endured a near 180 on the road and ended up in the ditch or median? If so, I imagine it was a scary and eye-opening experience. Now imagine sliding in your aircraft. That is exactly what happened in the following two examples.

The event aircraft (EA) was on the extreme right side of the taxiway with high asymmetric power to steer back toward centerline. The limited tire traction was overcome by centrifugal forces and quartering tailwinds. The aircraft rapidly spun counterclockwise 150 degrees, traversed the 50-foot width of the taxiway, and slid off the left side of the taxiway. As the EA came to a stop, the right wing dipped and the #4 propeller struck the ground. The aircrew said weather conditions were "normal for here."

In the second incident, the mishap pilot (MP) taxied the aircraft straight ahead. After rolling approximately five feet, the nose of the aircraft began to skid to the right. The MP applied full brakes and was able to stop the forward momentum of the aircraft (groundspeed was zero), but the nose continued to track to the right. While standing on the brakes, the MP advanced the #4 throttle to arrest the nose tracking to the right with no effect. The #4 throttle was retarded to idle and the aircraft eventually slid to a stop approximately 30 feet from an aircraft sitting in an adjacent parking spot. After exiting the aircraft, the crew noticed that the parking ramp was extremely icy.

Takeaways from both of these incidents reinforce that inclement weather conditions are dynamic, and airfield RCR/RSCs differ on varied airfield surfaces. Taxiways may present a greater hazard than runways; just because one area of the airfield has a sufficient braking coefficient does not necessarily mean that all areas do. Do not hesitate to inquire as to the conditions of taxiways and parking ramps. If in doubt, deploy a crew member to determine conditions. Just because it is "normal" does not necessarily mean you can risk being complacent!