Date: 201201
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: DFW.Airport, TX
Flight conditions: IMC
Weather elements / visibility: Rain
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: B757-200
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Climb; Initial Climb
Airspace: Class B DFW
ATC / advisory: Tower DFW
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Training / Qualification; Time Pressure; Situational Awareness; Human-Machine Interface; Distraction
Second reporter function: Pilot Not Flying; First Officer
Anomaly: Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Contributing factors: Weather; Aircraft; Company Policy; Procedure
Primary problem: Ambiguous

Narrative: I was pilot flying departing Runway 36R at DFW. Weather was IMC; light rain; temperature 7C. Our takeoff performance document did not have anti-ice ON. We requested an anti-ice ON performance data via ACARS free text message prior to leaving the gate. This had not arrived as we approached number one for departure. Rather than take a delay of unknown duration waiting for it; we elected to use max power. We made the required adjustments and were cleared for take off. Take off was normal. At 400 AGL LNAV was selected. Leaving 500 AGL auto pilot was selected as is required on RNAV departures. Initial climb was fairly bumpy and airspeed was bouncing somewhat. At 1;000 AGL VNAV was selected. The pitch attitude was above 20 degrees and was increasing due to bumps and airspeed control. There was a relatively large power reduction from max take off power to climb; but the pitch attitude did not start decreasing immediately. Airspeed started to decrease. The First Officer called out to check airspeed; and as speed was decreasing toward V2 I disconnected the autopilot and manually lowered the nose. Pitch got within 1-2 degrees of PLI before I got the nose down to a lower attitude. From this point all operated normally. Neither of us felt that there was an aircraft malfunction. We believe that the timing and circumstances of this particular occurrence made the normal VNAV pitch response too slow to prevent the airspeed decrease. Manual control and a more aggressive lowering of the nose got things back to normal. A couple of other things happened that I don't believe contributed the airspeed loss but might be noted: 1) During takeoff roll a flight attendant hit the wrong button and chimed the cockpit by mistake. 2) On rotation the First Officer's navigation manual came loose and fell to the back of the cockpit. 3) The lack of the original takeoff performance data having anti-ice ON. In this particular instance I feel that the requirement to use autopilot on RNAV departures was a detriment. I believe that if hand flying; the pitch attitude would not have gotten as high. Remove the requirement for auto pilot at 500 AGL on RNAV departures and let the pilot decide what the best selection of automation is for the circumstances.


Second narrative: [Narrative #2 had no additional information.]


Synopsis: A B757 took off with max power and established a very high pitch attitude up to 1;000 FT when climb power was set and flaps retracted at which time the airspeed decreased rapidly toward V2 as the Captain recovered.