Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Distraction; Physiological - Other
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Weather; Aircraft; Human Factors
We had to deice with type 4. The type 4 fluid; which now has to be on the fuselage; ended up on our cockpit windows. Imagine; if you will; trying to look through a piece of opaque glass and trying to taxi an aircraft. We would have returned; but the taxi to the runway was a straight unobstructed route. All we could see was immediately forward; where our windshield wipers were able to clear. The type 4 didn't shed from the side windows until we were at a significant rate of speed. The wipers on high; were just barely able to keep up with the type 4 that was slogging across the windshield. Lesson learned; I'll never go with type 4 anywhere near my cockpit windows. Restricting where the deice crews can spray type 4 fluid would also help. Maybe not allowing them to spray it anywhere forward of the main cabin/service doors?
Following de-icing of the entire aircraft with Type IV fluid the flight crew of a CRJ-200 found there vision obscured during taxi and takeoff by the fluid on their windshields. Wipers helped but barely kept pace until reaching the speed at which the fluid separated and blew off the surfaces.