Medium Large Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 121.2
Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Weather; Procedure; Manuals; Company Policy; Human Factors
I taxied to the ballpark in EWR for de-ice after midnight local time. It had started to snow about 2 hours earlier as part of a historic snowstorm for the Northeast and the ground was covered with about 3 to 4 inches of snow. The ATIS reported visibility at 3/4 -SN and there was about 2 inches of snow on the jet. I pulled in the pad and was surprised after about 5 minutes when I was told de-ice complete.The fuselage was never sprayed and I had snow covering the nose; wipers and side unseated windows. I told the First Officer to ask if they sprayed the whole jet and they replied wings and stab only. I then told them to spray the entire jet which they preceded to do. I noticed several other jets leave the pad with several inches of snow on the top of the fuselage. Spraying only wings and stab in a winter snowstorm and departing with snow on the aircraft is counter to the FOM requirements of a clean aircraft. How am I supposed to do a nose check if the snow and ice is never cleaned off in the first place?The FOM says the nose is not normally sprayed? The FOM also says the only snow or ice allowed is hoarfrost on the fuselage and 1/8 inch frost under the wings. 2 plus inches of snow on the top of the fuselage and snow and ice on the side windows and nose and is not allowed. This is the second time I have had to ask EWR to properly deice the entire jet in a snow storm and I have seen other aircraft leave with snow and ice on the fuselage and areas other than wing and stab. Please address this issue before we have an accident and let me know if I'm somehow mistaken on the requirements of a clean aircraft in a snowstorm. Thanks for your time and consideration.
Captain disagreed with de-icing crews method of cleaning snow accumulation on aircraft.