Narrative:

Flight was dispatched with the destination airport metar WX 360/06KTS 7 SM OVC006 19/13 A3010. The destination has no taf reporting: forecast weather from another airport 60 mi to the east is used and this same airport was designated as the alternate for this leg. Approaching the terminal area circuit breaker buildups were present necessitating deviation. From the tone of the operations it was evident controller work load was high. The ATIS for the destination airport reported speci 350/10KT 4-RBR BKN005 OVC015 18/13. The regular observation approximately twenty five mins later was 010/12KT 5 ts-rbr BKN005 OVC015 18/12. Our WX radar showed the thunderstorm activity to be well beyond the confines of the airport but at seventeen mi the flight engineer was instructed to contact the tower for the latest report. This communication link was kept until we were handed to the tower. Due to the aforementioned thunderstorm activity a request was made for a non-standard missed approached procedure. During the ILS approach and well inside the FAF we received the report of rain moving across the airport but all crewmembers never had the realization that it could be extremely heavy. The airport was actually sighted at the expected 500 AGL with no obscuration of visibility between the aircraft and the runway environment. During the flare and touchdown the rain became heavy with visibility greatly reduced: the thrust was at idle and the aircraft was committed to landing. The aircraft wheels hydroplaned with maximum braking and reverse thrust applied until a drier portion of the runway was reached where all four tires deflated. This is an older airport that has recently burgeoned into a far 121 destination but has short runways, limited WX reporting capability and a very serious obstacle at the departure of the main instrument approach. The reciprocal runway has no instrument approach, necessitating a 1000 and 3 mi, VFR circling maneuver only making this an extremely dangerous environment. These facts combined with another that this model transport had the mandated noise stc modification installed that greatly reduces its stopping capability. Airport management has plans to remove the obstacle, extend the runway and add another ILS but environmental concerns are a factor. In the interest of aviation safety expedited handling of the permitting process should be given. Even thought it is a small, underutilized airport its deficiencies could be greatly augmented with all of the latest technology weather reporting equipment such as doppler radar and wind shear detection. The simple installation of runway visual range equipment would have most assuredly meant that we would have detected the impending lower visibility. Callback conversation with the reporter revealed the following information: reporter said that the reported shower passing over the airport was not noted as heavy and now in visual conditions he elected to continue and lnd. Finding heavy rain and water on the runway at touchdown he used maximum braking to allow anti skid to do its job. This model aircraft does not have locked wheel protection and apparently the wheels never began to turn resulting in hydroplaning to the dry end of the runway and the failed four main tires. There may be the possibility because of the shower that there was a slight tailwind that was not reported. Landing roll ended 1300 ft from the end of the runway which allowed the intersecting runway to remain open.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 LNDS IN RAIN SHOWER, HYDROPLANES TO DRY SURFACE WHERE ALL FOUR MAIN TIRES FAILED. RPTR COMPLAINS OF NUMEROUS ARPT HAZARDS AND PROBS.

Narrative: FLT WAS DISPATCHED WITH THE DESTINATION ARPT METAR WX 360/06KTS 7 SM OVC006 19/13 A3010. THE DESTINATION HAS NO TAF RPTING: FORECAST WEATHER FROM ANOTHER ARPT 60 MI TO THE E IS USED AND THIS SAME ARPT WAS DESIGNATED AS THE ALTERNATE FOR THIS LEG. APCHING THE TERMINAL AREA CB BUILDUPS WERE PRESENT NECESSITATING DEVIATION. FROM THE TONE OF THE OPS IT WAS EVIDENT CTLR WORK LOAD WAS HIGH. THE ATIS FOR THE DESTINATION ARPT RPTED SPECI 350/10KT 4-RBR BKN005 OVC015 18/13. THE REGULAR OBSERVATION APPROX TWENTY FIVE MINS LATER WAS 010/12KT 5 TS-RBR BKN005 OVC015 18/12. OUR WX RADAR SHOWED THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO BE WELL BEYOND THE CONFINES OF THE ARPT BUT AT SEVENTEEN MI THE FLT ENGINEER WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT THE TWR FOR THE LATEST RPT. THIS COM LINK WAS KEPT UNTIL WE WERE HANDED TO THE TWR. DUE TO THE AFOREMENTIONED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY A REQUEST WAS MADE FOR A NON-STD MISSED APCHED PROCEDURE. DURING THE ILS APCH AND WELL INSIDE THE FAF WE RECEIVED THE RPT OF RAIN MOVING ACROSS THE ARPT BUT ALL CREWMEMBERS NEVER HAD THE REALIZATION THAT IT COULD BE EXTREMELY HVY. THE ARPT WAS ACTUALLY SIGHTED AT THE EXPECTED 500 AGL WITH NO OBSCURATION OF VISIBILITY BTWN THE ACFT AND THE RWY ENVIRONMENT. DURING THE FLARE AND TOUCHDOWN THE RAIN BECAME HVY WITH VISIBILITY GREATLY REDUCED: THE THRUST WAS AT IDLE AND THE ACFT WAS COMMITTED TO LNDG. THE ACFT WHEELS HYDROPLANED WITH MAXIMUM BRAKING AND REVERSE THRUST APPLIED UNTIL A DRIER PORTION OF THE RWY WAS REACHED WHERE ALL FOUR TIRES DEFLATED. THIS IS AN OLDER ARPT THAT HAS RECENTLY BURGEONED INTO A FAR 121 DESTINATION BUT HAS SHORT RWYS, LIMITED WX RPTING CAPABILITY AND A VERY SERIOUS OBSTACLE AT THE DEP OF THE MAIN INSTRUMENT APCH. THE RECIPROCAL RWY HAS NO INSTRUMENT APCH, NECESSITATING A 1000 AND 3 MI, VFR CIRCLING MANEUVER ONLY MAKING THIS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT. THESE FACTS COMBINED WITH ANOTHER THAT THIS MODEL TRANSPORT HAD THE MANDATED NOISE STC MODIFICATION INSTALLED THAT GREATLY REDUCES ITS STOPPING CAPABILITY. ARPT MGMNT HAS PLANS TO REMOVE THE OBSTACLE, EXTEND THE RWY AND ADD ANOTHER ILS BUT ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS ARE A FACTOR. IN THE INTEREST OF AVIATION SAFETY EXPEDITED HANDLING OF THE PERMITTING PROCESS SHOULD BE GIVEN. EVEN THOUGHT IT IS A SMALL, UNDERUTILIZED ARPT ITS DEFICIENCIES COULD BE GREATLY AUGMENTED WITH ALL OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY WEATHER RPTING EQUIP SUCH AS DOPPLER RADAR AND WIND SHEAR DETECTION. THE SIMPLE INSTALLATION OF RWY VISUAL RANGE EQUIP WOULD HAVE MOST ASSUREDLY MEANT THAT WE WOULD HAVE DETECTED THE IMPENDING LOWER VISIBILITY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID THAT THE REPORTED SHOWER PASSING OVER THE ARPT WAS NOT NOTED AS HVY AND NOW IN VISUAL CONDITIONS HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE AND LND. FINDING HVY RAIN AND WATER ON THE RWY AT TOUCHDOWN HE USED MAXIMUM BRAKING TO ALLOW ANTI SKID TO DO ITS JOB. THIS MODEL ACFT DOES NOT HAVE LOCKED WHEEL PROTECTION AND APPARENTLY THE WHEELS NEVER BEGAN TO TURN RESULTING IN HYDROPLANING TO THE DRY END OF THE RWY AND THE FAILED FOUR MAIN TIRES. THERE MAY BE THE POSSIBILITY BECAUSE OF THE SHOWER THAT THERE WAS A SLIGHT TAILWIND THAT WAS NOT RPTED. LNDG ROLL ENDED 1300 FT FROM THE END OF THE RWY WHICH ALLOWED THE INTERSECTING RWY TO REMAIN OPEN.

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.