COMMUTER ACFT HITS WIND SHEAR AND HVY RAIN ON APCH. 1000 FT RAPID DSCNT.

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WHILE ON APCH TO RWY 12 AT IAD WE ENCOUNTERED A WINDSHEAR; WHICH; WITH MAX PWR APPLIED AND AT STICK SHAKER; WE DROPPED FROM APPROX 1700 FT MSL TO 700 FT MSL (APPROX 200-300 FT AGL). IT WAS A CLASSIC SCENARIO. HVY RAIN ON THE APCH PATH; BUT ALL PROCEEDING ACFT WERE RPTING A 'SMOOTH RIDE.' VISUALLY; I COULD SEE A TWRING CUMULOUS -- BIG ENOUGH TO MAKE ME CAUTIOUS; BUT NOT BIG ENOUGH TO SCARE ME OFF WHEN THERE WERE SO MANY POSITIVE RIDE RPTS. IN ADDITION; THE PREVIOUS 2 WKS HAD AN UNUSUALLY HIGH FREQUENCY OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY; WHICH RESULTED IN A DEG OF COMPLACENCY; AS WELL AS IMPATIENCE. THIS CELL WAS BIG ENOUGH; THAT WITHOUT OUTSIDE INFO; I WOULD HAVE HELD AND WAITED FOR IT TO PASS. BUT; I LET THE RPTS OF A SMOOTH RIDE GIVE ME A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. IN ADDITION; IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO SAY NO. A THOUSAND FLTS COULD GO THROUGH THOSE SIMILAR CONDITIONS AND NOT EXPERIENCE A SEVERE WIND SHEAR; BUT FOR THE SAKE OF NUMBER ONE THOUSAND AND ONE; BETTER JUDGEMENT SHOULD KEEP YOU FROM ENTERING SUCH A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AREA. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE: I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR WINDSHEAR TRAINING. ENCOUNTERING WINDSHEAR EVERY 6 MONTHS IN THE SIMULATOR RESULTED IN EARLY RECOGNITION; AND AN AGGRESSIVE RECOVERY. HAVING IGNORED THE FIRST RULE OF WINDSHEAR TRAINING -- AVOIDANCE -- I STILL RECOGNIZED THAT WE WERE IN AN ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO WINDSHEAR; AND KEPT FLAPS AT A LOWER ANGLE (LESS DRAG); AND AT THE FIRST HINT OF A SHEAR; I CALLED FOR MAX PWR. IT HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY; AND THERE WAS NO TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING; JUST TIME TO CARRY OUT THE 'PROGRAMMED' PROC OF 'MAX PWR AND PITCH TO INTERMITTENT STICK SHAKER.' ALTHOUGH I WAS THE UNLUCKY ONE; AND LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON; I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER ABOUT THOSE WHO PRECEDED ME WITHOUT INCIDENT. WILL THEY CONTINUE TO GAMBLE WITH MOTHER NATURE?