FAA Seeks to Fine Detroit Airport $200,000

• Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.

Detroit’s Wayne County Airport Authority is facing a $200,000 civil penalty for allegedly failing to maintain safe airfield conditions at Detroit Metro-Wayne County International Airport during a November 2014 storm, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday.

In a statement, the FAA said airport authority’s failure to treat a taxiway and a deicing pad with deicer fluid caused a commercial jet to slide onto the grass, and a cargo jet to become stranded after exiting an icy runway.

Also, three commercial airliners were stranded on the de-icing pad for approximately three hours due to icy pavement conditions, the FAA alleges.

Airport Public Affairs Director Michael Conway said in a statement to Patch that the prior to the Nov. 22, 2014, snow storm, more than 9,700 gallons of liquid pavement de-icer and 24 tons of “hot” sand were applied to the airfield between 3:30 and 6 a.m., but he described the ice storm as “relentless” and said slippery conditions resulted.

The airport’s overall response to significant weather events is excellent, he said.

In its statement, the FAA alleges the airport authority failed to follow the mandated FAA Snow and Ice Control Plan, which would have limited air carrier operations to portions of the airfield where they could safely occur.

Among other allegations, the airport authority, failed to:

• Notify airlines of changing runway conditions:
• Activate the DTW “snow desk” to coordinate snow removal operations;
• Monitor snow removal operations; issue information about conditions affecting the runways, taxiways and ramp areas;
• Conduct frequent runway inspections and friction tests;
• Provide enough qualified personnel on the airfield to comply with the Snow and Ice Control Plan; and
• Issue a timely notice that a runway was closed.

The FAA said its representatives met with the airport authority in January 2014 to discuss concerns about winter operations at DTW. In May 2014, the FAA issued warning to the airport authority for failing to comply with ice and snow protocol during a February 2014 storm.

Conway said there were slight deviations in the “extraordinary weather events” of February 2014 and November 2014, but corrective procedures have been put in place.

“The authority has already addressed and corrected its procedures,” Conway said in the statement. “Over the last two snow seasons, and for the next two years, the authority has and will be adding $13 million worth of new or upgraded heavy snow and ice equipment.”

The airport is adding nine new employees to address snow and ice control and four new operations personnel, Conway said. Scheduling adjustments have been added to improve airfield monitoring during weather events, he said.

In the Feb. 5, 2014 incident, two regional jets became stuck in snow after turning onto untreated taxiways and one private Beechcraft pilot turned onto a fire access road instead of a treated taxiway, as he had been instructed by the control tower, Conway said.

Finally, Conway said the airport authority will work cooperatively with its airline partners and the FAA to fine-tune and improve the FAA-approved snow plan for this season.