Narrative:

We were prepared for a late morning departure on a day when the WX was expected to deteriorate with increasingly strong and gusty winds, occasional rain and/or snow and falling temperatures. Passenger arrived about 1/2 hour late, giving the precipitation on the aircraft a chance to freeze. Deicing was ordered, APU was shut down and we experienced additional delay while the deicing truck was warmed up. We expected turbulence and briefed the passenger to use their shoulder restraints with their seat belts. We had been expecting to depart runway 22L, but after deicing we were cleared to runway 31C, where we watched 1 aircraft take off and could see others waiting to go. While taxiing to the runway, we retrieved the current ATIS: wind 260 degrees 21 KTS gusting 30 KTS, visibility 3 mi, light snow, mist, landing and departing runway 31C, also departing runway 22L. We were cleared to position and hold. I told the first officer to hold the yoke forward to give me more effective nosewheel steering. When cleared for takeoff, I eased in some right rudder and applied power. (The manufacturer recommends keeping the ailerons neutral due to aerodynamic characteristics resulting from wing sweep and track width.) before reaching 80 KTS the aircraft weathervaned into the wind exceeding rudder and steering control and ran off the runway. We aborted the takeoff and the aircraft came to rest on an intersecting runway after hitting some signs on the infield grass. The passenger were unharmed and were removed by the airport authority/authorized. We remained with the aircraft while it was towed to the hangar. Besides foreign object damage, the aircraft sustained damage to the nose landing gear, right main gear door, and left wing slat. Both engines required complete borescopes and thorough cleaning. Looking back on this incident, I see the classic signs of an event chain that I could have (and should have) broken. I had already discouraged a side trip to an airport only 70 mi away due to the deteriorating WX. I did not want to further pressure my passenger into leaving earlier than planned. This was going to be the first of a 3 leg trip that would get us home. But the real reason we got caught here was that the WX was changing so rapidly. The ATIS we received at half past the hour was 37 mins old. After the incident I saw the ASOS report for the WX at brake release: wind 260 degrees 32 KTS gusting 41 KTS, visibility 10 mi in snow, sky overcast at 1700 ft. We had picked up the ATIS WX only 12 mins before takeoff and that was on my mind. The tower may have given us an update, but I don't recall it, I had already decided that runway 31 was viable for takeoff, it wasn't for us at that moment. Albeit within afm limits. In the future I will be more forceful in convincing passenger of the need to meet takeoff times when WX is a factor. And I will definite pay closer attention to the wind conditions up to the moment of takeoff.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A RWY EXCURSION DURING GUSTY STRONG XWIND CONDITIONS USING THE TWR SELECTED RWY.

Narrative: WE WERE PREPARED FOR A LATE MORNING DEP ON A DAY WHEN THE WX WAS EXPECTED TO DETERIORATE WITH INCREASINGLY STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS, OCCASIONAL RAIN AND/OR SNOW AND FALLING TEMPS. PAX ARRIVED ABOUT 1/2 HR LATE, GIVING THE PRECIPITATION ON THE ACFT A CHANCE TO FREEZE. DEICING WAS ORDERED, APU WAS SHUT DOWN AND WE EXPERIENCED ADDITIONAL DELAY WHILE THE DEICING TRUCK WAS WARMED UP. WE EXPECTED TURB AND BRIEFED THE PAX TO USE THEIR SHOULDER RESTRAINTS WITH THEIR SEAT BELTS. WE HAD BEEN EXPECTING TO DEPART RWY 22L, BUT AFTER DEICING WE WERE CLRED TO RWY 31C, WHERE WE WATCHED 1 ACFT TAKE OFF AND COULD SEE OTHERS WAITING TO GO. WHILE TAXIING TO THE RWY, WE RETRIEVED THE CURRENT ATIS: WIND 260 DEGS 21 KTS GUSTING 30 KTS, VISIBILITY 3 MI, LIGHT SNOW, MIST, LNDG AND DEPARTING RWY 31C, ALSO DEPARTING RWY 22L. WE WERE CLRED TO POS AND HOLD. I TOLD THE FO TO HOLD THE YOKE FORWARD TO GIVE ME MORE EFFECTIVE NOSEWHEEL STEERING. WHEN CLRED FOR TKOF, I EASED IN SOME R RUDDER AND APPLIED PWR. (THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDS KEEPING THE AILERONS NEUTRAL DUE TO AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS RESULTING FROM WING SWEEP AND TRACK WIDTH.) BEFORE REACHING 80 KTS THE ACFT WEATHERVANED INTO THE WIND EXCEEDING RUDDER AND STEERING CTL AND RAN OFF THE RWY. WE ABORTED THE TKOF AND THE ACFT CAME TO REST ON AN INTERSECTING RWY AFTER HITTING SOME SIGNS ON THE INFIELD GRASS. THE PAX WERE UNHARMED AND WERE REMOVED BY THE ARPT AUTH. WE REMAINED WITH THE ACFT WHILE IT WAS TOWED TO THE HANGAR. BESIDES FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE, THE ACFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE NOSE LNDG GEAR, R MAIN GEAR DOOR, AND L WING SLAT. BOTH ENGS REQUIRED COMPLETE BORESCOPES AND THOROUGH CLEANING. LOOKING BACK ON THIS INCIDENT, I SEE THE CLASSIC SIGNS OF AN EVENT CHAIN THAT I COULD HAVE (AND SHOULD HAVE) BROKEN. I HAD ALREADY DISCOURAGED A SIDE TRIP TO AN ARPT ONLY 70 MI AWAY DUE TO THE DETERIORATING WX. I DID NOT WANT TO FURTHER PRESSURE MY PAX INTO LEAVING EARLIER THAN PLANNED. THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE FIRST OF A 3 LEG TRIP THAT WOULD GET US HOME. BUT THE REAL REASON WE GOT CAUGHT HERE WAS THAT THE WX WAS CHANGING SO RAPIDLY. THE ATIS WE RECEIVED AT HALF PAST THE HR WAS 37 MINS OLD. AFTER THE INCIDENT I SAW THE ASOS RPT FOR THE WX AT BRAKE RELEASE: WIND 260 DEGS 32 KTS GUSTING 41 KTS, VISIBILITY 10 MI IN SNOW, SKY OVCST AT 1700 FT. WE HAD PICKED UP THE ATIS WX ONLY 12 MINS BEFORE TKOF AND THAT WAS ON MY MIND. THE TWR MAY HAVE GIVEN US AN UPDATE, BUT I DON'T RECALL IT, I HAD ALREADY DECIDED THAT RWY 31 WAS VIABLE FOR TKOF, IT WASN'T FOR US AT THAT MOMENT. ALBEIT WITHIN AFM LIMITS. IN THE FUTURE I WILL BE MORE FORCEFUL IN CONVINCING PAX OF THE NEED TO MEET TKOF TIMES WHEN WX IS A FACTOR. AND I WILL DEFINITE PAY CLOSER ATTN TO THE WIND CONDITIONS UP TO THE MOMENT OF TKOF.

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.