WINGTIP STRIKE BY A CARJ-CL65 ON RWY 27 DURING A XWIND LNDG ATTEMPT AT HLN; MT.

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SUBJECT: L WINGTIP GND CONTACT. WE RECEIVED ATIS 15 MINS PRIOR TO LNDG. GRD WINDS WERE RPTED 250 DEGS AT 26 KTS GUSTING TO 36 KTS. THIS WAS A LITTLE MORE OFF CTRLINE OF RWY 27 THAN THE SEQUENCE RPTS AND FORECAST; BUT STILL WELL WITHIN LIMITS OF THE ACFT AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FO TO FLY THE APCH WITH CAPT ON THE CTLS. WE STAYED HIGH OVER THE ARPT AND FLEW OVER THE ARPT TO THE N APPROX 15000 FT AND SLOWED TO 220 KTS TO AVOID DSNDING INTO THE TURB THAT WOULD BE AT LOWER ALTS. THIS WAS DONE WITH THE COORD OF HLN TWR; WE HAD PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED; AT GREAT LENGTH; XWIND LNDGS AND THE TECHNIQUE THAT WE WERE GOING TO USE. THIS WAS A LONG STABILIZED APCH; IGNITION ON AND A STABILIZED FORWARD SLIP STARTING AT LEAST 100 FT AGL; FLAPS 45 DEGS AND AIRSPD INDICATOR FLAPS 45 DEGS +5 KTS FOR THE GUSTS; TO INSURE THAT A SAFE CTLABLE ATTITUDE COULD BE MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THE LNDG WITHOUT ABRUPT CTL INPUTS. IF THIS COULDN'T BE MAINTAINED WE WERE GOING TO GO AROUND UNTIL THE CONDITIONS ALLOWED A SAFE ARR. TURNING DOWNWIND AND DSNDING THROUGH 12000 FT MSL; THE FLAPS WERE LOWERED TO 30 DEGS AND THE GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN. WE PURPOSEFULLY FLEW A LONG DOWNWIND SLOWLY TO MONITOR CONDITIONS. WE RECEIVED A TWR RPTED WIND OF 250 DEGS AT 26 KTS GUSTING TO 38 KTS AND ANOTHER TURNING BASE THAT INDICATED THE WINDS WERE STABLE IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND VELOCITY. WE TURNED FINAL; APPROX 5 MI FINAL; AND CONFIGURED FLAPS 45 DEGS AND ASI 45 DEGS +5 KTS. THE RIDE WAS OCCASIONAL LIGHT TURB TO SMOOTH AND THE ASI WAS SHOWING LITTLE DEVS. ON FINAL; THE CAPT WAS ON THE CTLS LIKE WHAT WE DO FOR A CAT II TYPE APCH TO MONITOR FO'S CTL INPUTS AND TO BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY CORRECTIVE ACTIONS IF NEEDED. THE APCH WAS LONG AND TOTALLY STABILIZED; ASI VARIATIONS DUE TO GUSTS SHOWED ONLY +/-5 KTS. WE HAD THE ILS RWY 27 DIALED IN AND WERE FOLLOWING THE LOC/GS ALL THE WAY DOWN AND HAD NO COURSE DEVS BEYOND THE NORMAL; IE; WE NEVER HAD ANY YELLOW COURSE DEV INDICATORS; WINDSHEAR WARNINGS OR ANY PRELUDE INDICATIONS THAT WOULD INDICATE ANYTHING OTHER THAN A STABLE WIND FLOW PATTERN THAT WAS ALREADY RPTED. AT 500 FT AGL; ALL THE XWIND CORRECTIONS WERE INPUTTED FOR WIND DRIFT AND LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE RWY CTRLINE. ASI WAS STABLE AND THE BANK ANGLE NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN CTRLINE WAS ONLY 2-3 FT. RUDDER INPUT WAS MINIMAL. THE SAME CONDITION CONTINUED THROUGH 100 FT AGL AND I CALLED 100 FT AS TO KEEP TRACK OF OUR DSCNT. WE GOT THE 50 FT AUDIO AND AT THAT POINT THE THRUST LEVERS WERE BROUGHT TO FLT IDLE. THE PLANE WAS IN THE FLARE AND WHEEL TOUCHDOWN WAS IMMINENT (APPROX 10 FT; IF THAT). AT AN INSTANT; THE PLANE STARTED ROLLING TO THE R AND WAS DISPLACED APPROX 20 FT TO THE R OF CTRLINE. CAPT LEVELED THE WINGS TO STOP THE ROLL AS DIRECTIONAL CTL DOWN THE RWY WAS FINE AND THE WHEELS WERE READY TO TOUCH DOWN. AT THIS TIME THE L WING DROPPED EXTREMELY RAPIDLY AND CORRECTIVE ACTION TO STOP THE ROLL COULDN'T STOP THE APPARENT LOSS OF LIFT AS THE PLANE DROPPED FIRMLY ONTO THE RWY. THE ROLLOUT REQUIRED FO TO HOLD A LARGE AMOUNT OF L AILERON INTO THE WIND AS CAPT SLOWED THE PLANE THEN STEERED TO MAINTAIN CTRLINE CTL. THE RWY WAS DRY SO WE HAD EFFECTIVE GND STEERING CTL. WE TAXIED TO THE RAMP AND SHUT THE PLANE DOWN. THE FLT ATTENDANT ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE CABIN DOOR; BUT INITIALLY COULDN'T AS THE WIND HAD BECOME SO STRONG OUT OF THE S THAT IT ATTEMPTED TO KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED. SHE EVENTUALLY GOT THE DOOR OPEN AND THE CURTAIN WAS ALMOST RIPPED OFF THE TRACKS. I QUICKLY WENT OUT TO INSPECT THE WINGTIP AND THEN DISCOVERED THE QUICK GND CONTACT THAT OCCURRED. I CALLED MAINT CTL TO RPT THE DAMAGE. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE FLC BE TAKEN OFF LINE AND A DRUG TEST BE DONE AT THE LCL HOSPITAL. WE FOUND OUT THAT THE LAB THERE WAS UNABLE TO DO THE TEST DUE TO CTL OF THE SPECIMENS. ADVISED TO FORGET THE TEST AS THE SAMPLE CTL COULDN'T BE VERIFIED. THE STATION MGR TOLD US THAT THE STATION HAD NOTICED A RADICAL WIND DIRECTION CHANGE TO THE S AND STRONGER GUSTS THAN WHAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCING PREVIOUSLY. THE WIND INDICATOR SHOWED A PEEK GUST OF 50+ KTS. THESE CONDITIONS CONTINUED FOR 15-20 MINS AFTER WE LANDED AND THEN RETURNED TO A SMOOTH FLOW OUT OF THE W. DURING THIS TIME NO OTHER ACFT TOOK OFF OR LANDED. IN RETROSPECT; I CAN SAY THAT WE COULD NOT HAVE FORESEEN OR PREDICTED THE SUDDEN WINDSHEAR THAT WE ENCOUNTERED. WE DIDN'T GET ANY WINDSHEAR WARNINGS DURING THE APCH AND LNDG PHASE.