Narrative:

On final runway 14R at ord right crosswind of 40 KTS at 1000 ft. Dropping to 20 KTS on runway. Experienced wing rock at 50 ft approximately 20 degrees both right and left. Ready to advance power to go around when rocking stopped. Landed normally. Asked ground control if we were following a heavy or 757. Ground control stated we were behind a DC9 but that a berm on the west side of the runway about 30 ft high caused problems in a crosswind. This berm is not evident at night or in bad WX: we had both. This incident alarmed both of us in the cockpit all the flight attendants and many of the passenger. Perhaps the FAA should warn pilots about this condition through NOTAM ATIS or verbally on final when there is a strong crosswind. Or maybe another runway could be used under these circumstances to prevent someone from getting hurt. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the crosswind landing component on his B-757 was 30 KTS. He could only imagine how difficult and more dangerous the landing would have been had the wind been up to 30 KTS instead of the 20 KTS experienced in this event. He stated that so far as he understood the situation, the berm is composed of a hill of soil that has been removed from some other part of the airport. Rumor has it that the soil is contaminated with jp fuel. A more substantiated tale told of the possibility of the berm being there for us to 2 yrs. Whether this is because of the possible contamination or just because of airport constraints is not known. The reporter's chief pilot was going to talk with airport authorities regarding this situation but the reporter is not sure that this has been accomplished. There have not been any NOTAMS issued by the airport or the air carrier as a result of this 1 incident. Since then, the reporter has heard of other pilots having a similar experience. He feels that this berm and it's effects on aircraft landing characteristics should be brought to the attention of all acrs and the FAA, with some form of alerting or runway restrs imposed whenever these conditions exist. He feels that this is a very important safety issue and should not be ignored.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B-757 FLC EXPERIENCES A TEMPORARY LOSS OF ACFT CTL WHILE EXECUTING A LNDG PROC XWIND LNDG. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR TURB CREATED BY XWIND ACTIVITY OVER BERM BY RWY.

Narrative: ON FINAL RWY 14R AT ORD R XWIND OF 40 KTS AT 1000 FT. DROPPING TO 20 KTS ON RWY. EXPERIENCED WING ROCK AT 50 FT APPROX 20 DEGS BOTH R AND L. READY TO ADVANCE PWR TO GAR WHEN ROCKING STOPPED. LANDED NORMALLY. ASKED GND CTL IF WE WERE FOLLOWING A HVY OR 757. GND CTL STATED WE WERE BEHIND A DC9 BUT THAT A BERM ON THE W SIDE OF THE RWY ABOUT 30 FT HIGH CAUSED PROBS IN A XWIND. THIS BERM IS NOT EVIDENT AT NIGHT OR IN BAD WX: WE HAD BOTH. THIS INCIDENT ALARMED BOTH OF US IN THE COCKPIT ALL THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND MANY OF THE PAX. PERHAPS THE FAA SHOULD WARN PLTS ABOUT THIS CONDITION THROUGH NOTAM ATIS OR VERBALLY ON FINAL WHEN THERE IS A STRONG XWIND. OR MAYBE ANOTHER RWY COULD BE USED UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES TO PREVENT SOMEONE FROM GETTING HURT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE XWIND LNDG COMPONENT ON HIS B-757 WAS 30 KTS. HE COULD ONLY IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT AND MORE DANGEROUS THE LNDG WOULD HAVE BEEN HAD THE WIND BEEN UP TO 30 KTS INSTEAD OF THE 20 KTS EXPERIENCED IN THIS EVENT. HE STATED THAT SO FAR AS HE UNDERSTOOD THE SIT, THE BERM IS COMPOSED OF A HILL OF SOIL THAT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM SOME OTHER PART OF THE ARPT. RUMOR HAS IT THAT THE SOIL IS CONTAMINATED WITH JP FUEL. A MORE SUBSTANTIATED TALE TOLD OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THE BERM BEING THERE FOR US TO 2 YRS. WHETHER THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION OR JUST BECAUSE OF ARPT CONSTRAINTS IS NOT KNOWN. THE RPTR'S CHIEF PLT WAS GOING TO TALK WITH ARPT AUTHORITIES REGARDING THIS SIT BUT THE RPTR IS NOT SURE THAT THIS HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY NOTAMS ISSUED BY THE ARPT OR THE ACR AS A RESULT OF THIS 1 INCIDENT. SINCE THEN, THE RPTR HAS HEARD OF OTHER PLTS HAVING A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. HE FEELS THAT THIS BERM AND IT'S EFFECTS ON ACFT LNDG CHARACTERISTICS SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTN OF ALL ACRS AND THE FAA, WITH SOME FORM OF ALERTING OR RWY RESTRS IMPOSED WHENEVER THESE CONDITIONS EXIST. HE FEELS THAT THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED.

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.