Narrative:

Event probably occurred due to not accurately assessing the WX. ATIS had some clues but only showed the actual conditions on the field. Language barrier may have contributed to missing clues from other aircraft WX encounters. Also contributing to high altitude; maximum performance takeoff with high terrain and very rapidly building WX; and no help from ATC about any WX in area. Again maybe culture and language barrier. Departure SID required approximately 180 degree turn after takeoff. Captain flying ZZZZ runway 5L X SID. Typical ZZZZ summer WX. Scattered cu; 24 degrees C. Gtow 144000 pounds bleeds off. Radar on; no returns. Begin sharp turn to southwest following SID; no returns but starting to get a little darker. I tilt the radar up even further; no returns. Finally when we roll out headed for 210TU waypoint (about 10 mi southeast ZZZZ) I get the WX return I don't want to see. Solid red with no place to turn due to high terrain and rapidly decreasing WX. Seconds later we flew into a hail shaft that began to beat the windshield with small marble size hail. OAT dropped rapidly. I turned on the engine anti-ice. Cockpit noise level was so loud that first officer and I had trouble hearing each other; let alone ATC. Hail lasted less than a min or so. We broke out of the clouds and into clear air. Radar failed. Now we could hear loud groan forward of instrument panel. Turned radar switch off and noise stopped. Reestablished communication with departure and advised we had flown through hail and lost our radar. My main concern was flying the airplane; clearing the WX and assessing any damage. After working with ATC and ensuring we could navigation around the remaining buildups; I xferred flying to my first officer. I called my forward flight attendant and asked about the condition of the passenger and cabin. No injuries but scared passenger from the turbulence and hail sounds. I then asked for the flight attendants to do a visual on the wings and engine cowls. They reported that there were a few small dents in the leading edges of the engine inlets and leading edges of the wing. We then ACARS'ed dx for a SELCAL. We talked to dx and maintenance about the situation. They advised to land. Where? ZZZZ. No way. Where? No way are we going back to ZZZZ with a failed WX radar. After establishing to dx that we were currently VMC and would like to remain that way; I suggested looking at aca and pvr. Maintenance asked about the condition of the aircraft. I replied that the radar was inoperative and we had a few small dents in the leading edges of the engine cowl and wings. My first officer; dx and maintenance all concurred that we continue to ZZZ. Dx suggested flying along the pacific coast. My first officer and I saw large buildups along the coast and determined we had a much better chance of staying VMC on our original planned route. Again it was agreed between the captain and dx to continue to ZZZ as the safest course of action. Rest of flight was normal until slowing to 210 KTS in ZZZ. Captain (PF) airspeed indication started fluctuating +/-10 KTS. Declared an emergency with approach and requested runway 26. Cleared visual runway 26. First officer side normal. Turned off autoplt #1 and turned on autoplt #2. Quickly ran unreliable speed indication checklist. Captain's airspeed indications returned to normal at about 180 KTS. Remainder of approach and landing normal. Released emergency equipment after clearing runway. Physical encounter with thunderstorm and loud hail followed by WX radar failure. Communicated and agreed upon safest course of action with first officer to keep aircraft safe and flying. Communicated with flight attendants about condition of aircraft from cabin. Made PA to passenger about situation and plan of flight. Next established plan and agreement with both dx and maintenance. Absolutely take a better look at the WX. We never saw any lightning during either the flight from ZZZ-ZZZZ or the return ZZZZ-ZZZ. We were only on the ground in ZZZZ for about 35 mins and it is incredible the speed that the WX can build in the tropics or anywhere for that matter with the right conditions. Supplemental information from acn 744147: turning left base; the captain's airspeed started to jump around; mine remained norm (this was the first large turn since the encounter with the hail). We opted to declare an emergency and request runway 26. Speed indications all the way down final were normal. Landing was normal. On taxi in the ramp tower asked us if our nose cone was dented in; it was. We had ECAM indications and observed the small dents on the leading edge. We believe the airspeed indication problems were due to the air burbling over the captain's pitot instrument in the turn due to the nose cone damage.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A319 DEPARTING ZZZZ ENCOUNTERED SEVERE WX WITH DAMAGING HAIL. THE FLT CONTINUED TO DEST. AN EMER WAS DECLARED FOR AIRSPEED FLUCTUATIONS CAUSED BY RADOME DAMAGE.

Narrative: EVENT PROBABLY OCCURRED DUE TO NOT ACCURATELY ASSESSING THE WX. ATIS HAD SOME CLUES BUT ONLY SHOWED THE ACTUAL CONDITIONS ON THE FIELD. LANGUAGE BARRIER MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO MISSING CLUES FROM OTHER ACFT WX ENCOUNTERS. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO HIGH ALT; MAX PERFORMANCE TKOF WITH HIGH TERRAIN AND VERY RAPIDLY BUILDING WX; AND NO HELP FROM ATC ABOUT ANY WX IN AREA. AGAIN MAYBE CULTURE AND LANGUAGE BARRIER. DEP SID REQUIRED APPROX 180 DEG TURN AFTER TKOF. CAPT FLYING ZZZZ RWY 5L X SID. TYPICAL ZZZZ SUMMER WX. SCATTERED CU; 24 DEGS C. GTOW 144000 LBS BLEEDS OFF. RADAR ON; NO RETURNS. BEGIN SHARP TURN TO SW FOLLOWING SID; NO RETURNS BUT STARTING TO GET A LITTLE DARKER. I TILT THE RADAR UP EVEN FURTHER; NO RETURNS. FINALLY WHEN WE ROLL OUT HEADED FOR 210TU WAYPOINT (ABOUT 10 MI SE ZZZZ) I GET THE WX RETURN I DON'T WANT TO SEE. SOLID RED WITH NO PLACE TO TURN DUE TO HIGH TERRAIN AND RAPIDLY DECREASING WX. SECONDS LATER WE FLEW INTO A HAIL SHAFT THAT BEGAN TO BEAT THE WINDSHIELD WITH SMALL MARBLE SIZE HAIL. OAT DROPPED RAPIDLY. I TURNED ON THE ENG ANTI-ICE. COCKPIT NOISE LEVEL WAS SO LOUD THAT FO AND I HAD TROUBLE HEARING EACH OTHER; LET ALONE ATC. HAIL LASTED LESS THAN A MIN OR SO. WE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AND INTO CLR AIR. RADAR FAILED. NOW WE COULD HEAR LOUD GROAN FORWARD OF INST PANEL. TURNED RADAR SWITCH OFF AND NOISE STOPPED. REESTABLISHED COM WITH DEP AND ADVISED WE HAD FLOWN THROUGH HAIL AND LOST OUR RADAR. MY MAIN CONCERN WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE; CLRING THE WX AND ASSESSING ANY DAMAGE. AFTER WORKING WITH ATC AND ENSURING WE COULD NAV AROUND THE REMAINING BUILDUPS; I XFERRED FLYING TO MY FO. I CALLED MY FORWARD FLT ATTENDANT AND ASKED ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE PAX AND CABIN. NO INJURIES BUT SCARED PAX FROM THE TURB AND HAIL SOUNDS. I THEN ASKED FOR THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO DO A VISUAL ON THE WINGS AND ENG COWLS. THEY RPTED THAT THERE WERE A FEW SMALL DENTS IN THE LEADING EDGES OF THE ENG INLETS AND LEADING EDGES OF THE WING. WE THEN ACARS'ED DX FOR A SELCAL. WE TALKED TO DX AND MAINT ABOUT THE SIT. THEY ADVISED TO LAND. WHERE? ZZZZ. NO WAY. WHERE? NO WAY ARE WE GOING BACK TO ZZZZ WITH A FAILED WX RADAR. AFTER ESTABLISHING TO DX THAT WE WERE CURRENTLY VMC AND WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN THAT WAY; I SUGGESTED LOOKING AT ACA AND PVR. MAINT ASKED ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE ACFT. I REPLIED THAT THE RADAR WAS INOP AND WE HAD A FEW SMALL DENTS IN THE LEADING EDGES OF THE ENG COWL AND WINGS. MY FO; DX AND MAINT ALL CONCURRED THAT WE CONTINUE TO ZZZ. DX SUGGESTED FLYING ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST. MY FO AND I SAW LARGE BUILDUPS ALONG THE COAST AND DETERMINED WE HAD A MUCH BETTER CHANCE OF STAYING VMC ON OUR ORIGINAL PLANNED RTE. AGAIN IT WAS AGREED BTWN THE CAPT AND DX TO CONTINUE TO ZZZ AS THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION. REST OF FLT WAS NORMAL UNTIL SLOWING TO 210 KTS IN ZZZ. CAPT (PF) AIRSPD INDICATION STARTED FLUCTUATING +/-10 KTS. DECLARED AN EMER WITH APCH AND REQUESTED RWY 26. CLRED VISUAL RWY 26. FO SIDE NORMAL. TURNED OFF AUTOPLT #1 AND TURNED ON AUTOPLT #2. QUICKLY RAN UNRELIABLE SPD INDICATION CHKLIST. CAPT'S AIRSPD INDICATIONS RETURNED TO NORMAL AT ABOUT 180 KTS. REMAINDER OF APCH AND LNDG NORMAL. RELEASED EMER EQUIP AFTER CLRING RWY. PHYSICAL ENCOUNTER WITH TSTM AND LOUD HAIL FOLLOWED BY WX RADAR FAILURE. COMMUNICATED AND AGREED UPON SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION WITH FO TO KEEP ACFT SAFE AND FLYING. COMMUNICATED WITH FLT ATTENDANTS ABOUT CONDITION OF ACFT FROM CABIN. MADE PA TO PAX ABOUT SIT AND PLAN OF FLT. NEXT ESTABLISHED PLAN AND AGREEMENT WITH BOTH DX AND MAINT. ABSOLUTELY TAKE A BETTER LOOK AT THE WX. WE NEVER SAW ANY LIGHTNING DURING EITHER THE FLT FROM ZZZ-ZZZZ OR THE RETURN ZZZZ-ZZZ. WE WERE ONLY ON THE GND IN ZZZZ FOR ABOUT 35 MINS AND IT IS INCREDIBLE THE SPD THAT THE WX CAN BUILD IN THE TROPICS OR ANYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER WITH THE RIGHT CONDITIONS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 744147: TURNING L BASE; THE CAPT'S AIRSPD STARTED TO JUMP AROUND; MINE REMAINED NORM (THIS WAS THE FIRST LARGE TURN SINCE THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE HAIL). WE OPTED TO DECLARE AN EMER AND REQUEST RWY 26. SPD INDICATIONS ALL THE WAY DOWN FINAL WERE NORMAL. LNDG WAS NORMAL. ON TAXI IN THE RAMP TWR ASKED US IF OUR NOSE CONE WAS DENTED IN; IT WAS. WE HAD ECAM INDICATIONS AND OBSERVED THE SMALL DENTS ON THE LEADING EDGE. WE BELIEVE THE AIRSPD INDICATION PROBS WERE DUE TO THE AIR BURBLING OVER THE CAPT'S PITOT INST IN THE TURN DUE TO THE NOSE CONE DAMAGE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.