Dash 8-400
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Wake Vortex Encounter
General None Reported / Taken
Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure
We were departing behind a heavy 757. Due to the RECAT we were cleared for take off 1 minute after the 757 was. I tried to delay the departure as much as possible by taxiing onto the runway slowly. As we were climbing out on the departure we ran into the 757's wake turbulence. It was a very severe vertical acceleration with a significant roll as well. The RECAT program should be rethought. I would like to see the evidence that a DHC8-D is safe to fly with 2.5 nm separation on a 757. I realize the program includes aircraft handling characteristics along with weight; but do these people realize the Q400 is a truck that can barely get out of its own way? From now on I will insist on more spacing when departing behind a heavy.
Q400 Captain reported encountering wake turbulence on climb out from EWR in trail of a B757 that resulted in 'very severe vertical acceleration with a significant roll'. Reporter suggested 'the RECAT program should be rethought'.