This document provides industry standards and guidance for the management of quality systems and processes for the effective deicing and anti-icing of aircraft on the ground. It forms one part of three related SAE Aerospace Standards (AS) and should be read in conjunction with AS6285 Aircraft Ground Deicing/Anti-icing Processes and AS6286 Training and Qualification Program for Deicing/Anti-Icing of Aircraft on the Ground. Collectively AS6285, AS6286, and AS6332 are known to the international community as the “Globalized Aircraft Deicing Standards”.
Exposure to weather conditions conducive to ice formation can cause the accumulation of frost, snow, slush and ice on aircraft surfaces and components. These contaminants can adversely affect aircraft performance, stability and control, plus the operation of mechanical devices such as control surfaces, sensors, flaps and landing gear. If frozen deposits are present other than those considered in the aircraft certification process, the performance and safety of the aircraft may be compromised.
Regulations governing aircraft operations in ground icing conditions shall be followed. ICAO Annex 6, Part I and Annex 14, Vol. I mandate specific rules for the safe operation of aircraft during ground icing conditions, and all member states subsequently are required to have regulations in place to ensure this. Paraphrased, these rules specify that no one may dispatch or take off an aircraft with frozen deposits on components of the aircraft that are critical to safe flight. A critical surface or component is one which could adversely affect the mechanical or aerodynamic function of an aircraft. The intent of these rules is to ensure that no one attempts to dispatch or operate an aircraft with frozen deposits adhering to any aircraft component critical to safe flight. This is known as the clean aircraft concept.
Quality management concerns the establishment, documentation, implementation and maintenance of a system in order to deliver the required process outcome and to continually improve effectiveness. Quality management is therefore a system that allows the effective delivery of the clean aircraft concept. Although no system is perfect, it is necessary to ensure the operation and processes evolve and learn from both non-conforming practice and opportunities for improvement in this critical area of aircraft safety. As individual icing situations or aircraft types and models may require special procedures, this document can never replace the aircraft operator’s judgement. However, it does give guidance on the principles of systematic operation of deicing and the improvements that allow valuable learning from operations to be captured for even greater assurance of safe operations.