Narrative:

My company has suspected me of damaging an aircraft while under my operation as captain. When management relayed the information to me, I acknowledged the fact it could have possibly happened during landing after completion of an INS approach, although my crew and I do not believe it occurred. In 1/90 I flew a revenue flight form memphis, tn to las vegas, nv, with a through stop in lubbock as flight xyz. The flight, I felt, operated west/O incident until I received word later in the day from flight management that the station mechanic in las found evidence of wing tip damage on the right wing tip of the large transport we brought in. The extent of the damage does not constitute or warrant an accident or incident report. To recap the events, prior ot descent into lubbock I briefed the approach in accordance with company operating specifications. Due to reported ATIS WX we planned an ILS CAT I approach to runway 17R backed up with a CAT ii autoplt check utilizing the monitored approach concept. I xferred control of the aircraft to the first officer at 6000', level on autoplt, approximately 20 mi from the runway. We were vectored onto approximately a 10 mi final, 6 mi from the OM with a 30-40 degree intercept heading. Capture and track of the localizer was normal until G/south capture at which time the altitude hold tripped off and the nose of the aircraft pitched over abruptly. Immediately the first officer disconnected the autoplt and continued to fly a flight director coupled approach to our minimums of 200-1/2. While monitoring the approach and expecting a right crab angle due to the winds from 230 degrees at 12 KTS, I noticed we were tracking the localizer with little or no crosswind correction. Approaching the decision height at approximately 200' AGL I announced, 'approaching minimums, going heads-up,' and immediately spotted the sequenced flasher upon looking outside. I called the approachs lights in sight as did the second officer. I allowed the first officer to continue to just about DH, at which time I announced and resumed control of the aircraft. Upon taking control I noticed we were aligned with the upwind side of the runway edge lights. Approaching the runway threshold I detected a slight amount of wind shear and recognized a noticeable left drift beginning to develop. Approaching the flare I shallowed my descent rate and left the power on to allow more time to correct the drift. I left the power on until T/D. While I felt the left drift and aircraft track down under the runway was under control, I do remember touching down in a modified right wing down, right crab attitude. At the time I didn't feel the amount of wing down was significantly worse than other lndgs I had witnessed during my experience as an air carrier flight crew member. Although I remember thinking during the rollout that the wing could have possibly contacted the runway, after block-in I personally inspected the wing tip, along with the second officer and we found no evidence of any damage. If a wing tip strike did occur as aforementioned, I presently cannot recall any other pertinent factors related to this incident. Supplemental information from acn 167642: the landing was not a hard landing, and the parking area in lbb was dark enough to prevent the scrapes from being discovered until we arrived at our next destination (las) in the daylight. The damage was discovered by a company mechanic in las during his walk-around with the flaps extended.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LATE NIGHT OPERATION CARGO LGT HITS WING TIP ON LNDG IN LOW VISIBILITY, CROSSWIND CONDITION. FLT CREW NOT AWARE OF STRIKE UNTIL AFTER NEXT STOP WHEN CALLED AT HOTEL.

Narrative: MY COMPANY HAS SUSPECTED ME OF DAMAGING AN ACFT WHILE UNDER MY OPERATION AS CAPT. WHEN MGMNT RELAYED THE INFO TO ME, I ACKNOWLEDGED THE FACT IT COULD HAVE POSSIBLY HAPPENED DURING LNDG AFTER COMPLETION OF AN INS APCH, ALTHOUGH MY CREW AND I DO NOT BELIEVE IT OCCURRED. IN 1/90 I FLEW A REVENUE FLT FORM MEMPHIS, TN TO LAS VEGAS, NV, WITH A THROUGH STOP IN LUBBOCK AS FLT XYZ. THE FLT, I FELT, OPERATED W/O INCIDENT UNTIL I RECEIVED WORD LATER IN THE DAY FROM FLT MGMNT THAT THE STATION MECH IN LAS FOUND EVIDENCE OF WING TIP DAMAGE ON THE RIGHT WING TIP OF THE LGT WE BROUGHT IN. THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR WARRANT AN ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT RPT. TO RECAP THE EVENTS, PRIOR OT DSNT INTO LUBBOCK I BRIEFED THE APCH IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY OPERATING SPECS. DUE TO RPTED ATIS WX WE PLANNED AN ILS CAT I APCH TO RWY 17R BACKED UP WITH A CAT II AUTOPLT CHK UTILIZING THE MONITORED APCH CONCEPT. I XFERRED CTL OF THE ACFT TO THE F/O AT 6000', LEVEL ON AUTOPLT, APPROX 20 MI FROM THE RWY. WE WERE VECTORED ONTO APPROX A 10 MI FINAL, 6 MI FROM THE OM WITH A 30-40 DEG INTERCEPT HDG. CAPTURE AND TRACK OF THE LOC WAS NORMAL UNTIL G/S CAPTURE AT WHICH TIME THE ALT HOLD TRIPPED OFF AND THE NOSE OF THE ACFT PITCHED OVER ABRUPTLY. IMMEDIATELY THE F/O DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND CONTINUED TO FLY A FLT DIRECTOR COUPLED APCH TO OUR MINIMUMS OF 200-1/2. WHILE MONITORING THE APCH AND EXPECTING A RIGHT CRAB ANGLE DUE TO THE WINDS FROM 230 DEGS AT 12 KTS, I NOTICED WE WERE TRACKING THE LOC WITH LITTLE OR NO XWIND CORRECTION. APCHING THE DECISION HEIGHT AT APPROX 200' AGL I ANNOUNCED, 'APCHING MINIMUMS, GOING HEADS-UP,' AND IMMEDIATELY SPOTTED THE SEQUENCED FLASHER UPON LOOKING OUTSIDE. I CALLED THE APCHS LIGHTS IN SIGHT AS DID THE S/O. I ALLOWED THE F/O TO CONTINUE TO JUST ABOUT DH, AT WHICH TIME I ANNOUNCED AND RESUMED CTL OF THE ACFT. UPON TAKING CTL I NOTICED WE WERE ALIGNED WITH THE UPWIND SIDE OF THE RWY EDGE LIGHTS. APCHING THE RWY THRESHOLD I DETECTED A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF WIND SHEAR AND RECOGNIZED A NOTICEABLE LEFT DRIFT BEGINNING TO DEVELOP. APCHING THE FLARE I SHALLOWED MY DSNT RATE AND LEFT THE PWR ON TO ALLOW MORE TIME TO CORRECT THE DRIFT. I LEFT THE PWR ON UNTIL T/D. WHILE I FELT THE LEFT DRIFT AND ACFT TRACK DOWN UNDER THE RWY WAS UNDER CTL, I DO REMEMBER TOUCHING DOWN IN A MODIFIED RIGHT WING DOWN, RIGHT CRAB ATTITUDE. AT THE TIME I DIDN'T FEEL THE AMOUNT OF WING DOWN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE THAN OTHER LNDGS I HAD WITNESSED DURING MY EXPERIENCE AS AN ACR FLT CREW MEMBER. ALTHOUGH I REMEMBER THINKING DURING THE ROLLOUT THAT THE WING COULD HAVE POSSIBLY CONTACTED THE RWY, AFTER BLOCK-IN I PERSONALLY INSPECTED THE WING TIP, ALONG WITH THE S/O AND WE FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF ANY DAMAGE. IF A WING TIP STRIKE DID OCCUR AS AFOREMENTIONED, I PRESENTLY CANNOT RECALL ANY OTHER PERTINENT FACTORS RELATED TO THIS INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 167642: THE LNDG WAS NOT A HARD LNDG, AND THE PARKING AREA IN LBB WAS DARK ENOUGH TO PREVENT THE SCRAPES FROM BEING DISCOVERED UNTIL WE ARRIVED AT OUR NEXT DEST (LAS) IN THE DAYLIGHT. THE DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED BY A COMPANY MECH IN LAS DURING HIS WALK-AROUND WITH THE FLAPS EXTENDED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.