Narrative:

In our pre-departure briefing, I instructed our flight attendants, to remain seated for the duration of the flight. The 'fasten seat belt' sign remained illuminated the entire flight. After takeoff, the aircraft was vectored to the northwest for sequencing into aus. A solid line of thunderstorms was visible with the naked eye as well as on the WX radar which was set on the 50 mi scale. We were turned to the east on vectors for the ILS runway 35R approach. I was the PF. At 10000 ft on the descent I disconnected the autoplt. Set up for the approach was routine and the ride was smooth. Lined up on final, just outside the OM with the landing checklist complete, all appeared normal. Reported winds were 250 degrees/8-10 KTS. At approximately 1000 ft AGL, tower reported a large disparity between north boundary winds and runway 35R approach end winds. Winds at the north boundary were wnw 35 KTS gusting to 45 KTS. Winds at the approach end remained as previously reported. I advised the crew of my intention to add 20 KTS to my vref speed and continued the approach. At approximately 500 ft AGL, tower reported that the 'gust front' had just come over the airport and that a light aircraft parked on the ramp had just been flipped over. Simultaneously, our aircraft was displaced right of centerline approximately 100-200 ft, despite control inputs to counter the now strong left crosswind. I immediately decided to initiate a normal go around procedure. The aircraft windshear alert system never activated. At the departure end of the runway, somewhere between 700 ft and 1000 ft AGL, the aircraft encountered severe turbulence and a force, the likes of which, I have never experienced in 21 yrs of flying. The aircraft was on the ragged edge of controllability, despite our adequate energy state. For a brief instant it crossed my mind that our aircraft was in extreme danger. Instinctively and without hesitation, I selected 'firewall throttles,' so quickly turned both packs off and advised me of the same. So estimates that the engines exceeded 'red line' temperature for approximately 30 seconds. We continued to climb and were cleared to 4000 ft MSL. Still in severe turbulence, we encountered an updraft which gave us an uncommanded climb to 4800 ft MSL. First officer immediately informed the controller of our deviation and we were subsequently cleared to maintain 5000 ft MSL. Throughout our recovery, we encountered indicated airspeed fluctuations from 250-320 KIAS. At this point we requested a vector back to sat. The turbulence had abated to moderate until approximately 50 DME from sat, when we re-entered an area of severe turbulence. Sat approach control was simultaneously issuing warnings of windshear similar to those in aus. At this point I xferred control of the aircraft to first officer. He maneuvered the aircraft south toward corpus christi, clear of the front. I contacted the dispatcher. Together we decided that a divert to iah would be the prudent course of action. An uneventful landing was made at iah. We reported a possible overspd of all 3 engines and the need for a severe turbulence/airframe check in the aircraft discrepancy log. Upon landing our passenger were visibly shaken. One woman exited the aircraft in tears. The professionalism and calm demeanor displayed by the cabin crew was exemplary. They cared for the passenger with sensitivity and selflessness. One flight attendant had the presence of mind to immediately call the mother of a 13 yr old unaccompanied girl just after landing. She used her personal cell phone to make the call. The station's personnel in iah worked hard to accommodate our displaced passenger. They completely and cheerfully took over and allowed the crew to relax and unwind. I firmly believe that the ground-based windshear alerting system convinced me to discontinue the approach early enough and prevented a potential catastrophe. Supplemental information from acn 474284: I was part of the flight crew flying from sat to aus. We were delayed out of sat for maintenance and fuel problems. By that time a line of thunderstorms we had deviated around en route to sat was near. After being vectored to final at aus we were advised the gust front was approaching the field and tower was advising of windshear alerts based on differing winds at various points on the field. At about 500 ft AGL we heard another aircraft advise of an overturned light plane on the field and we were simultaneously pushed sideways from runway alignment by the gust. The captain elected to go around. While climbing, turning east, and cleaning up we were encountering increasing turbulence and the captain felt 'firewall' power was necessary. After reaching 3000 ft we asked for higher and were assigned 4000 ft. As we got to 4000 ft severe turbulence was encountered and in a matter of seconds we were at 4800 ft and airspeed had increased to over 300 KIAS (from 250 KIAS). I advised the departure controller of the altitude. He was surprised and stated he had another aircraft at that altitude, but then assigned 5000 ft to us. We turned south and then southwest to return to sat but WX was deteriorating there too. We diverted to iah where a 3-ENG change was ordered for over-temperatures. At no time did the controller state a loss of separation nor did we get any TCASII alert. Supplemental information from acn 474564: event: microburst/windshear/severe turbulence. While conducting a visual approach in VMC conditions our B727 experienced windshear followed by severe turbulence during the missed approach and leveloff. We were on a 3 mi final for runway 35R at aus descending through 1000 ft AGL. ATC advised us of a wind disparity, stating the winds at the departure end of the runway were wnw 35 KTS gusting to 45 KTS while winds at the approach end were 250 degrees at 8 KTS. After this report, the captain informed us of his intent to add 20 KTS to vref. A few moments later the tower reported the winds had just flipped an airplane over on the ramp. At this point our aircraft was at 500 ft AGL when it was displaced 100-200 ft from runway centerline of runway 35R, despite adequate control inputs by the captain. That is when the captain, the PF, executed a normal go around procedure. Abeam the field at 1000 ft AGL the aircraft encountered a strong windshear along with severe turbulence, which put the aircraft on the verge of uncontrollability. The captain immediately advanced the throttles, exceeding all 3 engines' egt limits (red line) for approximately 30 seconds. Due to the severity of the turbulence, the captain was unable to maintain an assigned altitude of 4000 ft MSL, and the aircraft climbed to 4800 ft in a short period of time. We advised ATC and were then issued an assigned altitude of 5000 ft MSL. During the recovery the airspeed fluctuated from 250-320 KIAS. Severe turbulence continued as our aircraft was vectored south, away from aus toward sat. The turbulence discontinued approximately 80 mi west of iah where the flight diverted and landed uneventfully. I made an entry in the aircraft logbook concerning the engines being operated above egt limits.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 CREW ENCOUNTERED SEVERE WX, SEVERE WINDSHEAR AND SEVERE TURB ON ARR TO AUS.

Narrative: IN OUR PRE-DEP BRIEFING, I INSTRUCTED OUR FLT ATTENDANTS, TO REMAIN SEATED FOR THE DURATION OF THE FLT. THE 'FASTEN SEAT BELT' SIGN REMAINED ILLUMINATED THE ENTIRE FLT. AFTER TKOF, THE ACFT WAS VECTORED TO THE NW FOR SEQUENCING INTO AUS. A SOLID LINE OF TSTMS WAS VISIBLE WITH THE NAKED EYE AS WELL AS ON THE WX RADAR WHICH WAS SET ON THE 50 MI SCALE. WE WERE TURNED TO THE E ON VECTORS FOR THE ILS RWY 35R APCH. I WAS THE PF. AT 10000 FT ON THE DSCNT I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT. SET UP FOR THE APCH WAS ROUTINE AND THE RIDE WAS SMOOTH. LINED UP ON FINAL, JUST OUTSIDE THE OM WITH THE LNDG CHKLIST COMPLETE, ALL APPEARED NORMAL. RPTED WINDS WERE 250 DEGS/8-10 KTS. AT APPROX 1000 FT AGL, TWR RPTED A LARGE DISPARITY BTWN N BOUNDARY WINDS AND RWY 35R APCH END WINDS. WINDS AT THE N BOUNDARY WERE WNW 35 KTS GUSTING TO 45 KTS. WINDS AT THE APCH END REMAINED AS PREVIOUSLY RPTED. I ADVISED THE CREW OF MY INTENTION TO ADD 20 KTS TO MY VREF SPD AND CONTINUED THE APCH. AT APPROX 500 FT AGL, TWR RPTED THAT THE 'GUST FRONT' HAD JUST COME OVER THE ARPT AND THAT A LIGHT ACFT PARKED ON THE RAMP HAD JUST BEEN FLIPPED OVER. SIMULTANEOUSLY, OUR ACFT WAS DISPLACED R OF CTRLINE APPROX 100-200 FT, DESPITE CTL INPUTS TO COUNTER THE NOW STRONG L XWIND. I IMMEDIATELY DECIDED TO INITIATE A NORMAL GAR PROC. THE ACFT WINDSHEAR ALERT SYS NEVER ACTIVATED. AT THE DEP END OF THE RWY, SOMEWHERE BTWN 700 FT AND 1000 FT AGL, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB AND A FORCE, THE LIKES OF WHICH, I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED IN 21 YRS OF FLYING. THE ACFT WAS ON THE RAGGED EDGE OF CONTROLLABILITY, DESPITE OUR ADEQUATE ENERGY STATE. FOR A BRIEF INSTANT IT CROSSED MY MIND THAT OUR ACFT WAS IN EXTREME DANGER. INSTINCTIVELY AND WITHOUT HESITATION, I SELECTED 'FIREWALL THROTTLES,' SO QUICKLY TURNED BOTH PACKS OFF AND ADVISED ME OF THE SAME. SO ESTIMATES THAT THE ENGS EXCEEDED 'RED LINE' TEMP FOR APPROX 30 SECONDS. WE CONTINUED TO CLB AND WERE CLRED TO 4000 FT MSL. STILL IN SEVERE TURB, WE ENCOUNTERED AN UPDRAFT WHICH GAVE US AN UNCOMMANDED CLB TO 4800 FT MSL. FO IMMEDIATELY INFORMED THE CTLR OF OUR DEV AND WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED TO MAINTAIN 5000 FT MSL. THROUGHOUT OUR RECOVERY, WE ENCOUNTERED INDICATED AIRSPD FLUCTUATIONS FROM 250-320 KIAS. AT THIS POINT WE REQUESTED A VECTOR BACK TO SAT. THE TURB HAD ABATED TO MODERATE UNTIL APPROX 50 DME FROM SAT, WHEN WE RE-ENTERED AN AREA OF SEVERE TURB. SAT APCH CTL WAS SIMULTANEOUSLY ISSUING WARNINGS OF WINDSHEAR SIMILAR TO THOSE IN AUS. AT THIS POINT I XFERRED CTL OF THE ACFT TO FO. HE MANEUVERED THE ACFT S TOWARD CORPUS CHRISTI, CLR OF THE FRONT. I CONTACTED THE DISPATCHER. TOGETHER WE DECIDED THAT A DIVERT TO IAH WOULD BE THE PRUDENT COURSE OF ACTION. AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE AT IAH. WE RPTED A POSSIBLE OVERSPD OF ALL 3 ENGS AND THE NEED FOR A SEVERE TURB/AIRFRAME CHK IN THE ACFT DISCREPANCY LOG. UPON LNDG OUR PAX WERE VISIBLY SHAKEN. ONE WOMAN EXITED THE ACFT IN TEARS. THE PROFESSIONALISM AND CALM DEMEANOR DISPLAYED BY THE CABIN CREW WAS EXEMPLARY. THEY CARED FOR THE PAX WITH SENSITIVITY AND SELFLESSNESS. ONE FLT ATTENDANT HAD THE PRESENCE OF MIND TO IMMEDIATELY CALL THE MOTHER OF A 13 YR OLD UNACCOMPANIED GIRL JUST AFTER LNDG. SHE USED HER PERSONAL CELL PHONE TO MAKE THE CALL. THE STATION'S PERSONNEL IN IAH WORKED HARD TO ACCOMMODATE OUR DISPLACED PAX. THEY COMPLETELY AND CHEERFULLY TOOK OVER AND ALLOWED THE CREW TO RELAX AND UNWIND. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE GND-BASED WINDSHEAR ALERTING SYS CONVINCED ME TO DISCONTINUE THE APCH EARLY ENOUGH AND PREVENTED A POTENTIAL CATASTROPHE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 474284: I WAS PART OF THE FLC FLYING FROM SAT TO AUS. WE WERE DELAYED OUT OF SAT FOR MAINT AND FUEL PROBS. BY THAT TIME A LINE OF TSTMS WE HAD DEVIATED AROUND ENRTE TO SAT WAS NEAR. AFTER BEING VECTORED TO FINAL AT AUS WE WERE ADVISED THE GUST FRONT WAS APCHING THE FIELD AND TWR WAS ADVISING OF WINDSHEAR ALERTS BASED ON DIFFERING WINDS AT VARIOUS POINTS ON THE FIELD. AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL WE HEARD ANOTHER ACFT ADVISE OF AN OVERTURNED LIGHT PLANE ON THE FIELD AND WE WERE SIMULTANEOUSLY PUSHED SIDEWAYS FROM RWY ALIGNMENT BY THE GUST. THE CAPT ELECTED TO GO AROUND. WHILE CLBING, TURNING E, AND CLEANING UP WE WERE ENCOUNTERING INCREASING TURB AND THE CAPT FELT 'FIREWALL' PWR WAS NECESSARY. AFTER REACHING 3000 FT WE ASKED FOR HIGHER AND WERE ASSIGNED 4000 FT. AS WE GOT TO 4000 FT SEVERE TURB WAS ENCOUNTERED AND IN A MATTER OF SECONDS WE WERE AT 4800 FT AND AIRSPD HAD INCREASED TO OVER 300 KIAS (FROM 250 KIAS). I ADVISED THE DEP CTLR OF THE ALT. HE WAS SURPRISED AND STATED HE HAD ANOTHER ACFT AT THAT ALT, BUT THEN ASSIGNED 5000 FT TO US. WE TURNED S AND THEN SW TO RETURN TO SAT BUT WX WAS DETERIORATING THERE TOO. WE DIVERTED TO IAH WHERE A 3-ENG CHANGE WAS ORDERED FOR OVER-TEMPS. AT NO TIME DID THE CTLR STATE A LOSS OF SEPARATION NOR DID WE GET ANY TCASII ALERT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 474564: EVENT: MICROBURST/WINDSHEAR/SEVERE TURB. WHILE CONDUCTING A VISUAL APCH IN VMC CONDITIONS OUR B727 EXPERIENCED WINDSHEAR FOLLOWED BY SEVERE TURB DURING THE MISSED APCH AND LEVELOFF. WE WERE ON A 3 MI FINAL FOR RWY 35R AT AUS DSNDING THROUGH 1000 FT AGL. ATC ADVISED US OF A WIND DISPARITY, STATING THE WINDS AT THE DEP END OF THE RWY WERE WNW 35 KTS GUSTING TO 45 KTS WHILE WINDS AT THE APCH END WERE 250 DEGS AT 8 KTS. AFTER THIS RPT, THE CAPT INFORMED US OF HIS INTENT TO ADD 20 KTS TO VREF. A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE TWR RPTED THE WINDS HAD JUST FLIPPED AN AIRPLANE OVER ON THE RAMP. AT THIS POINT OUR ACFT WAS AT 500 FT AGL WHEN IT WAS DISPLACED 100-200 FT FROM RWY CTRLINE OF RWY 35R, DESPITE ADEQUATE CTL INPUTS BY THE CAPT. THAT IS WHEN THE CAPT, THE PF, EXECUTED A NORMAL GAR PROC. ABEAM THE FIELD AT 1000 FT AGL THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A STRONG WINDSHEAR ALONG WITH SEVERE TURB, WHICH PUT THE ACFT ON THE VERGE OF UNCONTROLLABILITY. THE CAPT IMMEDIATELY ADVANCED THE THROTTLES, EXCEEDING ALL 3 ENGS' EGT LIMITS (RED LINE) FOR APPROX 30 SECONDS. DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE TURB, THE CAPT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN AN ASSIGNED ALT OF 4000 FT MSL, AND THE ACFT CLBED TO 4800 FT IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. WE ADVISED ATC AND WERE THEN ISSUED AN ASSIGNED ALT OF 5000 FT MSL. DURING THE RECOVERY THE AIRSPD FLUCTUATED FROM 250-320 KIAS. SEVERE TURB CONTINUED AS OUR ACFT WAS VECTORED S, AWAY FROM AUS TOWARD SAT. THE TURB DISCONTINUED APPROX 80 MI W OF IAH WHERE THE FLT DIVERTED AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I MADE AN ENTRY IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK CONCERNING THE ENGS BEING OPERATED ABOVE EGT LIMITS.

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.