A RAYTHEON BEECHJET BE-400A FIRST OFFICER DESCRIBES THE EVENTS THAT LED TO THEIR ACCEPTING AND FLYING AN ACFT WITH HAIL DAMAGE.

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FLT DEPARTED ZZZ1 AS A PART 91 BUSINESS TRIP TO ZZZ. THE FIRST LEG WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE TRIP WAS A PLANNED 4 DAY BUSINESS TRIP TO ZZZ. ON THE NIGHT BEFORE THE RETURN LEG; SEVERE WX MADE ITS WAY THROUGH THE AREA. THERE WAS RPTED SEVERE TSTMS AND TORNADOS. THE MORNING OF THE RETURN DATE; THE FBO CALLED AND STATED THAT THERE WAS STORM DAMAGE TO MANY OF THE AIRPLANES ON THE FIELD FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE AND ASKED THAT I COME TO THE ARPT TO INSPECT THE ACFT. I WAS ACTING AS SIC AS THE OWNER IS THE PIC AND PF. HE WAS UNAVAILABLE SO I WENT TO CHK THE STATUS OF THE DAMAGE. I INSPECTED THE BEECHJET FOR DAMAGE. THERE WERE SEVERAL DIMPLES ON THE NOSE BUT THE RADOME WAS FREE OF DAMAGE. THE WINDSHIELD WAS UNDAMAGED ALONG WITH THE LEADING EDGES OF THE MAIN WING. ALSO; THE MAIN WING WAS CLEAN FROM THE LEADING EDGE BACK TO PAST THE SPOILERS. HAIL MADE SEVERAL DIMPLES ON THE FLAPS AND OTHER CTL SURFACES. IN MY IMPRESSION NONE WERE DEEP ENOUGH TO STOP A TIC-TAC FROM ROLLING OUT OF IT. THERE WERE SOME DIMPLES ALONG THE TOP OF THE FUSELAGE BUT NONE THAT I THOUGHT WERE EXTREME ENOUGH TO GND THE AIRPLANE. I RETRIEVED A LADDER AND EXAMINED THE HORIZ STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR FOR DAMAGE. I FOUND 1 MARK ON THE R HORIZ STABILIZER THAT I NOTED. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE STABILIZER WAS UNDAMAGED AND THE MAIN PORTION HAD ONLY A FEW DIMPLES ON BOTH SIDES. THE ELEVATOR HAD SEVERAL DIMPLES BUT AGAIN; NONE THAT I THOUGHT WARRANTED ANY ACTION. ON BOARD THE AIRPLANE WE HAVE A FLOW SHEET THAT DETAILS PLT ACTION IN CASE OF A MAINT SITUATION. SO I FOLLOWED THAT SHEET AND CALLED OUR FLT FOLLOWING AFTER-HRS NUMBER. OUR FOLLOWER RETURNED MY CALL A FEW MOMENTS LATER. I ADVISED HIM OF THE SITUATION AND HE THEN CALLED OUR MAINT DEPT WHO THEN CALLED ME. I EXPLAINED TO THE MECH THE EXTENT OF THE HAIL DAMAGE. I ALSO DISCUSSED THE AREA ON TOP OF THE HORIZ STABILIZER THAT CAUGHT MY ATTN. THE MECH STATED HE WOULD GET IN THE MANUAL AND CALL ME BACK. AFTER I ENDED THAT CONVERSATION; I CALLED MY CHIEF PLT. I BRIEFED HIM ON THE SITUATION AND MY IMPRESSION OF THE STATUS OF THE ACFT. I TOLD HIM I WAS AWAITING THE RETURN CALL FROM MAINT AND THAT I WOULD CALL HIM BACK AS SOON AS I HEARD SOMETHING. THE MECH CALLED BACK APPROX 45 MINS LATER. HE ASKED ME IF THE LEADING EDGES OF THE WING WERE UNDAMAGED AND I ANSWERED YES. HE ASKED IF THE LEADING EDGES OF THE HORIZ STABILIZER WERE UNDAMAGED AND I SAID YES. HE ASKED IF THE WINDSCREEN WAS DAMAGED AND I SAID NO. HE STATED THAT HE LOOKED IN THE BEECHJET MAINT MANUAL UNDER THE FOD SECTION. HE RELAYED THAT AS LONG AS THOSE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED SURFACES WERE GOOD; THE AIRPLANE WAS GOOD TO FLY. WE TALKED ABOUT THE MARK ON TOP OF THE STABILIZER AND HE STATED THAT THE STRENGTH OF THE SKIN OF THAT SURFACE IS QUITE STRONG AND AS LONG AS THERE WASN'T A DENT UNDER THE MARK; HE FELT IT WASN'T GROUNDING DAMAGE. I ASKED IF HE WANTED ME TO SEND HIM SOME PICTURES AND HE STATED HE DIDN'T HAVE MEANS TO RECEIVE THEM. I CALLED THE OWNER/PIC AND INFORMED HIM OF THE SITUATION. I TOLD HIM THAT I FELT THE AIRPLANE WAS AIRWORTHY AND THAT I HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OUR MAINT DEPT. I CALLED THE CHIEF PLT BACK AND BRIEFED HIM ON EVERYTHING THE MAINTAINER AND THE OWNER SAID. I TOLD HIM I FELT THE AIRPLANE WAS AIRWORTHY. HE STATED IT WAS UP TO ME BUT AS LONG AS I FELT CONFIDENT OF THE ACFT WE COULD RETURN. THE OWNER SHOWED UP AND PERFORMED HIS OWN INSPECTION AND CONCLUDED THAT THE ACFT WAS AIRWORTHY. WE DEPARTED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS AND THE FLT RETURNED TO ZZZ1 UNEVENTFULLY. BOTH THE OWNER AND I CALLED THE CHIEF PLT AND DISCUSSED THE DAY'S EVENTS. I DID A POSTFLT WALKAROUND WITH THE MECH WHO I BRIEFED ON THE PHONE. I THEN LEFT FOR THE EVENING. I USED MY CHAIN OF COMMAND AND RESOURCES OF THE COMPANY. I HAD NEVER BEFORE HAD AN ACFT EXPERIENCE HAIL DAMAGE AND WAS UNAWARE OF THE LEVEL OF DAMAGE THAT MAKES AN AIRPLANE UNAIRWORTHY. IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN AGAIN; I WOULD ENSURE THAT A MECH FAMILIAR IN STRUCTURES EXAMINED THE ACFT BEFORE IT FLEW. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED HE WAS TRYING TO HELP THE CONTRACT MAINT PROVIDER; WHO WAS AT A DIFFERENT STATION; DETERMINE THE AIRWORTHINESS OF THE ACFT AFTER THE PREVIOUS NIGHT'S STORM AND HAIL DAMAGE. AFTER MUCH PHONE DISCUSSION; BOTH HE; THE CAPTAIN AND THE CONTRACT MAINT MECHANIC BELIEVED THE ACFT WAS AIRWORTHY. NO LOGBOOK WRITE-UP WAS MADE TO ADDRESS ANY OF THE HAIL DAMAGE. HOWEVER; UPON ARRIVING AT A DOWNLINE STATION; THE ACFT WAS RE-INSPECTED AND ONE AREA OF HAIL DAMAGE ON THE ALUMINUM WING AND ONE AREA ON THE COMPOSITE HORIZONTAL STAB WERE FOUND BEYOND LIMITS FOR FLIGHT. REPORTER STATED THAT AT THAT POINT; THE ACFT REQUIRED A FERRY FLIGHT TO A MAINT BASE.