WINDSHEAR ENCOUNTER AND ACFT DAMAGE SUFFERED AS A CL60 FLT CREW HAS TO DIVERT TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT AFTER EXPERIENCING A HARD LNDG AND A GAR DURING A NIGHT OP XWIND LNDG ATTEMPT AT BAF; MA.
Synopsis
WINDSHEAR ENCOUNTER AND ACFT DAMAGE SUFFERED AS A CL60 FLT CREW HAS TO DIVERT TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT AFTER EXPERIENCING A HARD LNDG AND A GAR DURING A NIGHT OP XWIND LNDG ATTEMPT AT BAF; MA.
Narrative
PIC WAS THE PF AND I WAS THE PNF AND WE BRIEFED THE WX AND PULLED OUT THE XWIND COMPONENT CHART TO REVIEW WHERE WE WERE WITH THE WINDS. THE WINDS AT WESTFIELD WERE 310 DEGS AT 18 KTS GUSTING TO 30 KTS AND THE WINDS WERE WELL WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS. THE SQUALLS THAT WE HAD DURING THE DAY WERE DYING OUT AS WE WERE BEGINNING NIGHTFALL. SINCE THE FLT WAS APPROX 20 MINS; I VERY QUICKLY GOT THE ATIS AND WE WERE GIVEN THE OPTION TO LAND ON RWY 2 OR RWY 33. THE ATIS RPTED SCATTERED CLOUDS AND AS PREVIOUSLY BRIEFED THE WINDS WERE 310 DEGS AT 18 KTS GUSTING TO 30 KTS AND WE DISCUSSED THE SHORT RWY (5000 FT) AFFECTED BY TREES ON THE END AND NO VASI; OR THE 9000 FT RWY 2 WITH A VASI. WE CHOSE RWY 2 BASED ON A BETTER APCH AND CONTINUED IN COMPLETING ALL THE CHKS. WE WERE EXPERIENCING CONTINUOUS LIGHT TO OCCASIONAL MODERATE TURB; THOUGH NOTHING NEW TO WHAT WE WERE USED TO. ON BASE LEG FOR THE VISUAL TO RWY 2; I ASKED FOR A WIND CHK WHICH THE TWR REPLIED 350 DEGS AT 15 KTS WITH NO GUST FACTOR. NONETHELESS; WE HAD MADE TARGET SPD ADJUSTMENTS APPROPRIATE WITH THE ATIS TO MAINTAIN REF +20 KTS ON FINAL AND HAD THE SPD BUGGED WHICH WAS 130 KTS CORRECTED TO 150 KTS. ON FINAL; WE NOTED APPROX 50 DEG L XWIND FIRST NOTING IT AT 36 KTS. THE XWIND WAS VERY SLOWLY DIMINISHING WHERE AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL IT WAS AT 33 KTS. MEANWHILE; I COMPLETED A FINAL SWEEP AND I NOTED MINOR FLUCTUATIONS THOUGH WE WERE STILL WELL ABOVE REF. AS WE DIPPED BELOW THE RIDGE LINE AND TREE LINE OF OUR L SIDE; WE STARTED GETTING INTO TROUBLE AND I TOOK MY ATTN AWAY FROM AIRSPD TO HELP PIC MAINTAIN CTL OF THE ACFT. THE LAST 50 FT HAPPENED EXTREMELY FAST AND I CANNOT RECALL ALL THE AIRSPDS AS THEY HAPPENED. THE INITIAL IMPACT WAS ON OUR L SIDE QUITE HARD AND WE BOUNCED ABOUT 20 FT INTO THE AIR. I DO NOT EXACTLY RECALL WHAT HAPPENED ON THE FIRST BOUNCE THOUGH I BELIEVE THAT PIC HAD BOTH HANDS ON THE YOKE AND I WENT FOR THE PWR AS WE WERE INTO THE STICK SHAKER PLUMMETING BACK TO THE RWY. WE IMPACTED THE RWY A SECOND TIME ONTO THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT AND BOUNCED AGAIN AND WE WERE IN REAL TROUBLE NOW. PIC STILL HAD BOTH HANDS ON THE CTLS AND I FIREWALLED THE ENGS AND WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OUT OF THE PROB. AT NO POINT DID WE GET A VERBAL WINDSHEAR ALERT. AFTER WE HAD THE PROB; I QUERIED THE TWR ABOUT PIREPS AND THEY HAD NOT HAD AN OP IN 2 HRS. I INFORMED THEM OF OUR WINDSHEAR ON FINAL AND THAT NO ONE SHOULD ATTEMPT TO LAND ON THAT RWY. WE THEN DID AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ACFT AND REVIEWED THE SYS. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A PROB THOUGH WE SUSPECTED POSSIBLE DAMAGE. WE TOOK OUR TIME TO GET OURSELVES TOGETHER AND WE DECIDED TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT AT RWY 33. WE ENTERED A VISUAL PATTERN AND BEGAN ANOTHER WELL-ESTABLISHED APCH. AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL WE GOT A VERBAL WINDSHEAR WARNING AND MADE AN IMMEDIATE ACTION GAR AND WE DECIDED THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO LAND THERE AT ALL. WE TOOK OUR TIME AND GATHERED OURSELVES. EVENTUALLY; I GOT THROUGH TO DISPATCH AND WE MADE THE DECISION TO GO STRAIGHT TO BRADLEY BEING ONLY 25 MI AWAY WHERE THERE IS LONG RWYS IN CASE WE EXPERIENCED AN UNFORESEEN PROB. WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AT BRADLEY. AFTER DOING AN EXTERIOR INSPECTION; WE NOTED THAT BOTH WINGTIPS HAD BEEN DRAGGED THOUGH NO OTHER PROBS WERE APPARENT. FROM MY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE; WE HIT AN AREA WHERE THE WIND DIED EXTREMELY QUICKLY FROM 33 KTS TO 15 KTS. WHAT I DO NOT REMEMBER IS WHETHER WE EVER LOST AIRSPD ABRUPTLY OR NOT; OR WHETHER THE ACFT GOT BELOW THE REF +20 KTS WITH A PWR REDUCTION AS MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED WITH PIC STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN CTL. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT DUE TO ALL THE RIDGE LINES AND TREE LINES IN CLOSE PROX OF THE RWY; WE EXPERIENCED SEVERE MECHANICAL TURB COINCIDING WITH THE ABRUPT LOSS IN AIRSPD. AFTER WE LANDED; WE REFERRED TO THE MANUALS AND CONTACTED THE COMPANY OFFICIALS FOR ADVICE. WE THEN REPOSITIONED THE ACFT TO FBO. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 571679: PROCEEDED TO AN ALTERNATE. ON INSPECTION; WE FOUND DAMAGE TO THE WINGTIPS AND NOSE GEAR. I BELIEVE THAT WINDSHEAR DETECTION/WARNING EQUIPWOULD HAVE ALERTED US TO A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SIT. IF THIS TYPE OF EQUIP IS NOT AVAILABLE; AT LEAST HAVING A WIND SPD/DIRECTION INDICATION DEVICE ON THE APCH END OF THE RWY MIGHT HAVE ALERTED US. WE FOLLOWED ALL THE PROPER PROCS FOR OUR APCH; BUT DID NOT HAVE ALT ENOUGH TO RECOVER FROM THE WINDSHEAR.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.