Narrative:

Subject: left wingtip ground contact. We received ATIS 15 mins prior to landing. Grd winds were reported 250 degrees at 26 KTS gusting to 36 KTS. This was a little more off centerline of runway 27 than the sequence reports and forecast, but still well within limits of the aircraft and the opportunity for the first officer to fly the approach with captain on the controls. We stayed high over the airport and flew over the airport to the north approximately 15000 ft and slowed to 220 KTS to avoid descending into the turbulence that would be at lower altitudes. This was done with the coordination of hln tower, we had previously discussed, at great length, crosswind lndgs and the technique that we were going to use. This was a long stabilized approach, ignition on and a stabilized forward slip starting at least 100 ft AGL, flaps 45 degrees and airspeed indicator flaps 45 degrees +5 KTS for the gusts, to insure that a safe ctlable attitude could be maintained throughout the landing without abrupt control inputs. If this couldn't be maintained we were going to go around until the conditions allowed a safe arrival. Turning downwind and descending through 12000 ft MSL, the flaps were lowered to 30 degrees and the gear was selected down. We purposefully flew a long downwind slowly to monitor conditions. We received a tower reported wind of 250 degrees at 26 KTS gusting to 38 KTS and another turning base that indicated the winds were stable in the same direction and velocity. We turned final, approximately 5 mi final, and configured flaps 45 degrees and asi 45 degrees +5 KTS. The ride was occasional light turbulence to smooth and the asi was showing little deviations. On final, the captain was on the controls like what we do for a CAT ii type approach to monitor first officer's control inputs and to be able to make any corrective actions if needed. The approach was long and totally stabilized, asi variations due to gusts showed only +/-5 KTS. We had the ILS runway 27 dialed in and were following the localizer/GS all the way down and had no course deviations beyond the normal, ie, we never had any yellow course deviation indicators, windshear warnings or any prelude indications that would indicate anything other than a stable wind flow pattern that was already reported. At 500 ft AGL, all the crosswind corrections were inputted for wind drift and longitudinal alignment with the runway centerline. Asi was stable and the bank angle necessary to maintain centerline was only 2-3 ft. Rudder input was minimal. The same condition continued through 100 ft AGL and I called 100 ft as to keep track of our descent. We got the 50 ft audio and at that point the thrust levers were brought to flight idle. The plane was in the flare and wheel touchdown was imminent (approximately 10 ft, if that). At an instant, the plane started rolling to the right and was displaced approximately 20 ft to the right of centerline. Captain leveled the wings to stop the roll as directional control down the runway was fine and the wheels were ready to touch down. At this time the left wing dropped extremely rapidly and corrective action to stop the roll couldn't stop the apparent loss of lift as the plane dropped firmly onto the runway. The rollout required first officer to hold a large amount of left aileron into the wind as captain slowed the plane then steered to maintain centerline control. The runway was dry so we had effective ground steering control. We taxied to the ramp and shut the plane down. The flight attendant attempted to open the cabin door, but initially couldn't as the wind had become so strong out of the south that it attempted to keep the door closed. She eventually got the door open and the curtain was almost ripped off the tracks. I quickly went out to inspect the wingtip and then discovered the quick ground contact that occurred. I called maintenance control to report the damage. It was concluded that the flight crew be taken off line and a drug test be done at the local hospital. We found out that the lab there was unable to do the test due to control of the specimens. Advised to forget the test as the sample control couldn't be verified. The station manager told us that the station had noticed a radical wind direction change to the south and stronger gusts than what they were experiencing previously. The wind indicator showed a peek gust of 50+ KTS. These conditions continued for 15-20 mins after we landed and then returned to a smooth flow out of the west. During this time no other aircraft took off or landed. In retrospect, I can say that we could not have foreseen or predicted the sudden windshear that we encountered. We didn't get any windshear warnings during the approach and landing phase.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WINGTIP STRIKE BY A CARJ-CL65 ON RWY 27 DURING A XWIND LNDG ATTEMPT AT HLN, MT.

Narrative: SUBJECT: L WINGTIP GND CONTACT. WE RECEIVED ATIS 15 MINS PRIOR TO LNDG. GRD WINDS WERE RPTED 250 DEGS AT 26 KTS GUSTING TO 36 KTS. THIS WAS A LITTLE MORE OFF CTRLINE OF RWY 27 THAN THE SEQUENCE RPTS AND FORECAST, BUT STILL WELL WITHIN LIMITS OF THE ACFT AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FO TO FLY THE APCH WITH CAPT ON THE CTLS. WE STAYED HIGH OVER THE ARPT AND FLEW OVER THE ARPT TO THE N APPROX 15000 FT AND SLOWED TO 220 KTS TO AVOID DSNDING INTO THE TURB THAT WOULD BE AT LOWER ALTS. THIS WAS DONE WITH THE COORD OF HLN TWR, WE HAD PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED, AT GREAT LENGTH, XWIND LNDGS AND THE TECHNIQUE THAT WE WERE GOING TO USE. THIS WAS A LONG STABILIZED APCH, IGNITION ON AND A STABILIZED FORWARD SLIP STARTING AT LEAST 100 FT AGL, FLAPS 45 DEGS AND AIRSPD INDICATOR FLAPS 45 DEGS +5 KTS FOR THE GUSTS, TO INSURE THAT A SAFE CTLABLE ATTITUDE COULD BE MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THE LNDG WITHOUT ABRUPT CTL INPUTS. IF THIS COULDN'T BE MAINTAINED WE WERE GOING TO GO AROUND UNTIL THE CONDITIONS ALLOWED A SAFE ARR. TURNING DOWNWIND AND DSNDING THROUGH 12000 FT MSL, THE FLAPS WERE LOWERED TO 30 DEGS AND THE GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN. WE PURPOSEFULLY FLEW A LONG DOWNWIND SLOWLY TO MONITOR CONDITIONS. WE RECEIVED A TWR RPTED WIND OF 250 DEGS AT 26 KTS GUSTING TO 38 KTS AND ANOTHER TURNING BASE THAT INDICATED THE WINDS WERE STABLE IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND VELOCITY. WE TURNED FINAL, APPROX 5 MI FINAL, AND CONFIGURED FLAPS 45 DEGS AND ASI 45 DEGS +5 KTS. THE RIDE WAS OCCASIONAL LIGHT TURB TO SMOOTH AND THE ASI WAS SHOWING LITTLE DEVS. ON FINAL, THE CAPT WAS ON THE CTLS LIKE WHAT WE DO FOR A CAT II TYPE APCH TO MONITOR FO'S CTL INPUTS AND TO BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY CORRECTIVE ACTIONS IF NEEDED. THE APCH WAS LONG AND TOTALLY STABILIZED, ASI VARIATIONS DUE TO GUSTS SHOWED ONLY +/-5 KTS. WE HAD THE ILS RWY 27 DIALED IN AND WERE FOLLOWING THE LOC/GS ALL THE WAY DOWN AND HAD NO COURSE DEVS BEYOND THE NORMAL, IE, WE NEVER HAD ANY YELLOW COURSE DEV INDICATORS, WINDSHEAR WARNINGS OR ANY PRELUDE INDICATIONS THAT WOULD INDICATE ANYTHING OTHER THAN A STABLE WIND FLOW PATTERN THAT WAS ALREADY RPTED. AT 500 FT AGL, ALL THE XWIND CORRECTIONS WERE INPUTTED FOR WIND DRIFT AND LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE RWY CTRLINE. ASI WAS STABLE AND THE BANK ANGLE NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN CTRLINE WAS ONLY 2-3 FT. RUDDER INPUT WAS MINIMAL. THE SAME CONDITION CONTINUED THROUGH 100 FT AGL AND I CALLED 100 FT AS TO KEEP TRACK OF OUR DSCNT. WE GOT THE 50 FT AUDIO AND AT THAT POINT THE THRUST LEVERS WERE BROUGHT TO FLT IDLE. THE PLANE WAS IN THE FLARE AND WHEEL TOUCHDOWN WAS IMMINENT (APPROX 10 FT, IF THAT). AT AN INSTANT, THE PLANE STARTED ROLLING TO THE R AND WAS DISPLACED APPROX 20 FT TO THE R OF CTRLINE. CAPT LEVELED THE WINGS TO STOP THE ROLL AS DIRECTIONAL CTL DOWN THE RWY WAS FINE AND THE WHEELS WERE READY TO TOUCH DOWN. AT THIS TIME THE L WING DROPPED EXTREMELY RAPIDLY AND CORRECTIVE ACTION TO STOP THE ROLL COULDN'T STOP THE APPARENT LOSS OF LIFT AS THE PLANE DROPPED FIRMLY ONTO THE RWY. THE ROLLOUT REQUIRED FO TO HOLD A LARGE AMOUNT OF L AILERON INTO THE WIND AS CAPT SLOWED THE PLANE THEN STEERED TO MAINTAIN CTRLINE CTL. THE RWY WAS DRY SO WE HAD EFFECTIVE GND STEERING CTL. WE TAXIED TO THE RAMP AND SHUT THE PLANE DOWN. THE FLT ATTENDANT ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE CABIN DOOR, BUT INITIALLY COULDN'T AS THE WIND HAD BECOME SO STRONG OUT OF THE S THAT IT ATTEMPTED TO KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED. SHE EVENTUALLY GOT THE DOOR OPEN AND THE CURTAIN WAS ALMOST RIPPED OFF THE TRACKS. I QUICKLY WENT OUT TO INSPECT THE WINGTIP AND THEN DISCOVERED THE QUICK GND CONTACT THAT OCCURRED. I CALLED MAINT CTL TO RPT THE DAMAGE. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE FLC BE TAKEN OFF LINE AND A DRUG TEST BE DONE AT THE LCL HOSPITAL. WE FOUND OUT THAT THE LAB THERE WAS UNABLE TO DO THE TEST DUE TO CTL OF THE SPECIMENS. ADVISED TO FORGET THE TEST AS THE SAMPLE CTL COULDN'T BE VERIFIED. THE STATION MGR TOLD US THAT THE STATION HAD NOTICED A RADICAL WIND DIRECTION CHANGE TO THE S AND STRONGER GUSTS THAN WHAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCING PREVIOUSLY. THE WIND INDICATOR SHOWED A PEEK GUST OF 50+ KTS. THESE CONDITIONS CONTINUED FOR 15-20 MINS AFTER WE LANDED AND THEN RETURNED TO A SMOOTH FLOW OUT OF THE W. DURING THIS TIME NO OTHER ACFT TOOK OFF OR LANDED. IN RETROSPECT, I CAN SAY THAT WE COULD NOT HAVE FORESEEN OR PREDICTED THE SUDDEN WINDSHEAR THAT WE ENCOUNTERED. WE DIDN'T GET ANY WINDSHEAR WARNINGS DURING THE APCH AND LNDG PHASE.

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.