FOKKER 100 ENCOUNTERS WALL OF RAIN JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. LANDS WITH L MAIN OFF RWY. 4 TAXI LIGHTS HIT.

Narrative

AFTER WAITING AT PHL TO CONTINUE ON FINAL LEG OF PART 121 TRIP; ATC CALLED TO ADVISE US THAT WE HAD 'A CLEAR SHOT' AT A CORRIDOR BTWN PHL AND ABE. AN AREA OF TSTM WAS CLUSTERED OVER ABE AND MY CAPT ELECTED TO WAIT IT OUT. ATC NOTIFIED US THAT THE CLUSTER HAD MOVED OFF TO E AND BECAUSE ANOTHER LINE OF TSTMS WAS APCHING; WE HAD A LIMITED WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLETE THE PHL-ABE LEG. WE TOOK OFF FROM PHL AND CLBED TO 4000 FT ONLY TURNING SLIGHTLY TO AVOID AREAS OF HVY PRECIP; BUT VERY CIRCUMNAVIGABLE. APCH CTL CLRED US TO 2400 FT AS THEY VECTORED US FOR THE APCH. OUR QUERIES TO APCH AND TWR WERE ANSWERED ONLY WITH A RPT OF RAIN ON THE GND. WE CONFIGURED THE FOKKER 100 AND THE CAPT FLEW THE APCH IN A STABLE MANNER. WE RECEIVED LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN AND BUFFETING; BUT NOTHING CAUSING EITHER OF US TO BE ALARMED ABOUT. WE OBSERVED ABOUT 5 MI ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE RWY A GOOD SIZED CELL; HOWEVER; EVEN IN THE RAIN WE SAW THE RWY APCH LIGHTS AT 1500 FT MSL. TWR RPTED (AND WE XCHKED ON OUR FMS) WINDS OF 010 DEGS AT 18 KTS. SOMEPLACE INSIDE OF 50 FT AGL (WE ARE NOT SURE WHETHER IT OCCURRED AT 40; 30; 20 OR 10 FT) WE HIT A 'WALL OF WATER' VERY SIMILAR TO THAT EXPERIENCED IN AN AUTOMOBILE WHEN BEING PASSED BY A SEMI TRAILER TRUCK ON AN INTERSTATE. THE RWY LIGHTS LOST DEFINITION IN THE WATER -- EVEN WITH BOTH WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON. I OBSERVED AT THIS POINT ON THE FMS A WIND READOUT OF 278 DEGS AT 18 KTS. WE TOUCHED DOWN FIRMLY; AS WE BELIEVED; ON THE L SIDE OF CTRLINE. WE HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN TOLD WE TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE L MAIN OFF THE RWY PAVEMENT. IT IS ALSO ALLEGED THAT WE HIT 4 TAXI LIGHTS. SINCE THE CAPT AND I DID NOT SEE THIS WE HAVE NO PROOF THAT WE TOOK OUT THE LIGHTS. WE DID PERFORM A WALKAROUND IN HVY RAIN AND SAW NOTHING AWRY. WE SAT ON THE TXWY FOR APPROX 10-15 MINS WAITING FOR THE RAIN TO LET UP AS WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE TO TAXI. I FEEL THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ANYBODY AT THAT SPOT AT THAT TIME. TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE I AM NOW ASSERTIVELY A PROPONENT OF CANCELING CONTINUATION OF FLT INTO UNSTABLE AREAS OF TSTMS/HVY RAINS.