Training and Safety Tip: Snow room for error

In addition to checking the weather for snow showers, icing, and mountain obscuration, there are airport conditions to consider before deciding to fly. Even when skies are clear, the runways and/or taxiways could be contaminated with snow, ice, or slush that extends braking distance; slush and snow accumulation may also delay acceleration on the takeoff roll.

When checking the weather, be sure to review all available information, including pilot weather reports, or "pireps," as well as notams, at your departure and destination airports. Surface conditions should be reported if there is a control tower or flight service station on the field when contaminants are present and are causing a safety concern. Taxiway and runway closures will also be reported in notams, along with other issues that could factor in your decision.

As you gather this information, keep in mind that at smaller airports there might be inconsistencies in what is reported. If you're departing from a nontowered airport you will also want to visually confirm the conditions before making your go/no-go decision. The same applies to your intended destination airport. The conditions may be worse than expected and may not have been reported by the airport manager. If you can, call the airport or FBO, or even a local pilot, for more details before you depart. Overflying the destination airport before committing to a landing is also a reasonable way to observe field conditions. You always have the option to go around if you find out on final approach that the runway is more contaminated than you expected.

Snow and ice on taxiways and runup areas could cause slick conditions and reduce braking action. Such contamination may also cover the painted markings, so you’ll need to exercise extra caution to avoid safety issues such as runway incursions—particularly at an unfamiliar airport.

During your takeoff roll, if you find the conditions worse than expected—for example, if you are not able to fully maintain directional control—it’s best to abort the takeoff and delay the flight until conditions improve. Be aware that if you abort, your braking action will be reduced. Become familiar with runway condition assessment and braking action reporting terminology. Snow, ice, or both are also considerations for landings in these conditions, as you will need more runway than you would on a dry runway.

Spend some time determining what adjustment factors should be applied to the landing and takeoff data in order to maintain aircraft performance. Check out the FAA’s Winter Weather Resources webpage. In addition, the FAA’s Advisory Circular AC No: 91-79B, Aircraft Landing Performance and Runway Excursion Mitigation, has a lot of useful information, such as landing distance factors to be applied depending on braking action reporting.

Also, the AOPA Air Safety Institute has compiled several helpful resources about icing and cold weather operations including videos.