Air carrier departing den encountered windshear and overshot assigned altitude.

Attributes
ACN	583469
Time
Date	200306
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : den.airport
State Reference	CO
Altitude	agl single value : 1500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Weather Elements	Turbulence Windshear
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : den.tower tower : mke.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude climbout : initial
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 11000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	583469
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : overshoot inflight encounter : turbulence non adherence : clearance other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Weather
Primary Problem	Weather

Narrative:

Departing den, thunderstorms north, arriving aircraft runways 17L/right, departing runway 8, winds from east variable to 10 KTS. Various reports from tower and arriving aircraft airspeed loss/gain +/-15-20 KTS. Windshear alert. Regional jet ahead on departure from runway 8 reported airspeed loss 20 KTS. We were cleared into position and given windshear alert for departure. Our radar painted cells approximately 20 mi north of field with no returns in departure corridor. We elected to wait on runway when tower issued takeoff clearance due to reports of windshear and corresponding alert in departure corridor. Informed tower we would wait and please tell us when windshear alert had subsided. About 2 mins later tower issued takeoff clearance winds 080 degrees/6 KTS no alert. Proceeded with takeoff -- about rotation saw visual signs (yikes! Wall of dust) in departure corridor of dry downburst. Proceeded with turn away from area and initiated windshear profile. Of course tower frequency busy and got word in as soon as possible for heading deviation. Encountered windshear and moderate turbulence. On frequency with departure coordinated headings, while recovering in updraft climbed above cleared 10000 ft but coordinated with departure. Remainder of departure normal. To prevent reoccurrence I will pull off runway next time I elect to wait for WX. Being #1 in position I feel leads you to being 'pushed' by ATC, I should have taken more time to re-evaluate conditions. I also believe in areas such as den with the amount of traffic and convective WX perhaps a meteorologist on duty in the tower cabin attendant could have provided information about cues from that position of microbursts, squall line, wind shifts, etc. I believe the downburst visual clues were visible to tower before they were to us. Tower and departure worked very well with us when we informed them of windshear encounter. Windshear profile worked well. However, I prefer never to be in that situation again. Next time I feel I'm not comfortable with the WX ahead I will pull off the runway to wait. Being in position leads the tower to try to get you out of town!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR DEPARTING DEN ENCOUNTERED WINDSHEAR AND OVERSHOT ASSIGNED ALT.

Narrative: DEPARTING DEN, TSTMS N, ARRIVING ACFT RWYS 17L/R, DEPARTING RWY 8, WINDS FROM E VARIABLE TO 10 KTS. VARIOUS RPTS FROM TWR AND ARRIVING ACFT AIRSPD LOSS/GAIN +/-15-20 KTS. WINDSHEAR ALERT. REGIONAL JET AHEAD ON DEP FROM RWY 8 RPTED AIRSPD LOSS 20 KTS. WE WERE CLRED INTO POS AND GIVEN WINDSHEAR ALERT FOR DEP. OUR RADAR PAINTED CELLS APPROX 20 MI N OF FIELD WITH NO RETURNS IN DEP CORRIDOR. WE ELECTED TO WAIT ON RWY WHEN TWR ISSUED TKOF CLRNC DUE TO RPTS OF WINDSHEAR AND CORRESPONDING ALERT IN DEP CORRIDOR. INFORMED TWR WE WOULD WAIT AND PLEASE TELL US WHEN WINDSHEAR ALERT HAD SUBSIDED. ABOUT 2 MINS LATER TWR ISSUED TKOF CLRNC WINDS 080 DEGS/6 KTS NO ALERT. PROCEEDED WITH TKOF -- ABOUT ROTATION SAW VISUAL SIGNS (YIKES! WALL OF DUST) IN DEP CORRIDOR OF DRY DOWNBURST. PROCEEDED WITH TURN AWAY FROM AREA AND INITIATED WINDSHEAR PROFILE. OF COURSE TWR FREQ BUSY AND GOT WORD IN ASAP FOR HEADING DEV. ENCOUNTERED WINDSHEAR AND MODERATE TURB. ON FREQ WITH DEP COORDINATED HEADINGS, WHILE RECOVERING IN UPDRAFT CLBED ABOVE CLRED 10000 FT BUT COORDINATED WITH DEP. REMAINDER OF DEP NORMAL. TO PREVENT REOCCURRENCE I WILL PULL OFF RWY NEXT TIME I ELECT TO WAIT FOR WX. BEING #1 IN POS I FEEL LEADS YOU TO BEING 'PUSHED' BY ATC, I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MORE TIME TO RE-EVALUATE CONDITIONS. I ALSO BELIEVE IN AREAS SUCH AS DEN WITH THE AMOUNT OF TFC AND CONVECTIVE WX PERHAPS A METEOROLOGIST ON DUTY IN THE TWR CAB COULD HAVE PROVIDED INFO ABOUT CUES FROM THAT POS OF MICROBURSTS, SQUALL LINE, WIND SHIFTS, ETC. I BELIEVE THE DOWNBURST VISUAL CLUES WERE VISIBLE TO TWR BEFORE THEY WERE TO US. TWR AND DEP WORKED VERY WELL WITH US WHEN WE INFORMED THEM OF WINDSHEAR ENCOUNTER. WINDSHEAR PROFILE WORKED WELL. HOWEVER, I PREFER NEVER TO BE IN THAT SIT AGAIN. NEXT TIME I FEEL I'M NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE WX AHEAD I WILL PULL OFF THE RWY TO WAIT. BEING IN POS LEADS THE TWR TO TRY TO GET YOU OUT OF TOWN!

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.