Narrative:

ATC lack of WX information. Approaching gua near rabinal we had briefed our approach to runway 19 (RNAV) as per ATIS. Upon reaching rabinal VOR; ATC cleared us for the ILS DME 2 runway 1. We quickly briefed the approach which I had briefed while at cruise altitude expecting that to be the runway in use. There was a level 3 cell moving from east to west at 10 KTS which concerned me. I asked approach as to the WX conditions on runway 1; but to make sure I talked to tower on #2 radio to double confirm approach's report. Approach said that another air carrier had executed the approach and had the airport in sight within around 5 mi out and tower said the ceiling to be at 6000 ft (I was not sure if that was from a previous WX summary or human observation; since what I was seeing didn't look like 6000 ft AGL). I asked him to keep me informed for any changes. I was concerned that should the WX deteriorate after we passed aur VOR on our initial descent to the first step down altitude in the approach on the D215G which is 6600 ft MSL; we had no choice; but to continue our approach and then execute a missed approach into the WX; much like a 1 way street which is the approach at gua runway 1. I asked repeatedly for wind direction and speed to stay aware of any sudden changes as the system was overhead; but approachs were being conducted in a normal manner. My fuel load at the time was 10400 pounds which was enough fuel to go to bze (belize) or salvador to the south of gua. Salvador had WX as well as bze. I took a peek while at cruise and belize had cumulonimbus overhead and the system was developing as we drummed south to gua. We descended on profile and intercepted the ILS and GS with landing confign completed when gua tower said that the runway was now obscured; winds at 090 degrees/09 KTS. I could see the lower portion of the poor housing area located right before the airport; but I could not see the runway. I prepared for the go around and at around 5800 ft MSL I saw an amber glitch on the navigation display; but no further warnings were annunciated. We were about 2.5 mi from the approach end; and as soon as I started the missed approach without any predictive warnings we received the windshear reactive mode; we had driven into a full blown windshear scenario and we had retracted the landing gear at the same time since we were executing a normal missed approach; but it all happened at the same time. The aircraft dwindled in and out of the alpha area much like in the simulator; engines were at toga screaming; but the altitude was holding at 6000 ft +/-200 ft. In all honesty my concern was focused on monitoring the autoplt for it to stay engaged and for us to stay in the missed approach as I pushed the navigation to stay within the safe altitude and missed approach corridor; straight ahead is the ideal scenario; but gua terrain does not allow for that luxury. I hoped for it to end soon since initiating the turn for the missed could have been extremely dangerous; but the other option was a catch 22; hit buildings and high terrain and I wanted to maximize every bit of lift to initiate the turn in hopes that the windshear would end soon; even if it precluded from gaining altitude straight ahead since I could not see the runway at all (lasted for about 7 or 10 eternal seconds). We came out of it and at the same time we came out of the cell. Climbed to our missed approach altitude when tower offered to come back around to runway 19. I requested to hold at rabinal VOR and he gave us 12000 ft hold; there was moderate to severe WX everywhere (another summer day at gua and central america). I debated to go to bze; but I had close to another 2400 pounds of fuel to play with; so we stayed in the hold and as soon as the cell moved to the southwest we started the VOR/DME approach to runway 19. Upon landing and parking at gate; the station agent supervisor informed me that the tower had given a windshear report to another aircraft before me; but he did not provide the report to us when we asked for the WX and wind conditions. I asked the agent if he was confusing my windshear report instead and he confirmed that he knew when I reported it after our missed approach and he said that the other report was before we initiated theapch. It was strange because; I noticed that the tower controller's voice sounded a little nervous afterward on our approach to runway 19. As much as I always try to stay ahead when I fly to central america; I found how easy it is amid all of the planning and judgement calls; how things can turn sour in a heartbeat; very disconcerting to say the least. I believe what saved us was to initiate the missed before reaching our published decision altitude; it gave us that extra altitude to trade for our windshear recovery which would have had us impact the ground had we been lower or at our decision altitude; we'll never know and I am happy with it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR ACFT ON APCH TO MGGT EXECUTED A GAR JUST AS A PREDICTIVE WINDSHEAR WARNING AND A WINDSHEAR HIT. ATC MISLED THE CREW ABOUT THE LOCAL WX.

Narrative: ATC LACK OF WX INFO. APCHING GUA NEAR RABINAL WE HAD BRIEFED OUR APCH TO RWY 19 (RNAV) AS PER ATIS. UPON REACHING RABINAL VOR; ATC CLRED US FOR THE ILS DME 2 RWY 1. WE QUICKLY BRIEFED THE APCH WHICH I HAD BRIEFED WHILE AT CRUISE ALT EXPECTING THAT TO BE THE RWY IN USE. THERE WAS A LEVEL 3 CELL MOVING FROM E TO W AT 10 KTS WHICH CONCERNED ME. I ASKED APCH AS TO THE WX CONDITIONS ON RWY 1; BUT TO MAKE SURE I TALKED TO TWR ON #2 RADIO TO DOUBLE CONFIRM APCH'S RPT. APCH SAID THAT ANOTHER ACR HAD EXECUTED THE APCH AND HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT WITHIN AROUND 5 MI OUT AND TWR SAID THE CEILING TO BE AT 6000 FT (I WAS NOT SURE IF THAT WAS FROM A PREVIOUS WX SUMMARY OR HUMAN OBSERVATION; SINCE WHAT I WAS SEEING DIDN'T LOOK LIKE 6000 FT AGL). I ASKED HIM TO KEEP ME INFORMED FOR ANY CHANGES. I WAS CONCERNED THAT SHOULD THE WX DETERIORATE AFTER WE PASSED AUR VOR ON OUR INITIAL DSCNT TO THE FIRST STEP DOWN ALT IN THE APCH ON THE D215G WHICH IS 6600 FT MSL; WE HAD NO CHOICE; BUT TO CONTINUE OUR APCH AND THEN EXECUTE A MISSED APCH INTO THE WX; MUCH LIKE A 1 WAY STREET WHICH IS THE APCH AT GUA RWY 1. I ASKED REPEATEDLY FOR WIND DIRECTION AND SPD TO STAY AWARE OF ANY SUDDEN CHANGES AS THE SYS WAS OVERHEAD; BUT APCHS WERE BEING CONDUCTED IN A NORMAL MANNER. MY FUEL LOAD AT THE TIME WAS 10400 LBS WHICH WAS ENOUGH FUEL TO GO TO BZE (BELIZE) OR SALVADOR TO THE S OF GUA. SALVADOR HAD WX AS WELL AS BZE. I TOOK A PEEK WHILE AT CRUISE AND BELIZE HAD CUMULONIMBUS OVERHEAD AND THE SYS WAS DEVELOPING AS WE DRUMMED S TO GUA. WE DSNDED ON PROFILE AND INTERCEPTED THE ILS AND GS WITH LNDG CONFIGN COMPLETED WHEN GUA TWR SAID THAT THE RWY WAS NOW OBSCURED; WINDS AT 090 DEGS/09 KTS. I COULD SEE THE LOWER PORTION OF THE POOR HOUSING AREA LOCATED RIGHT BEFORE THE ARPT; BUT I COULD NOT SEE THE RWY. I PREPARED FOR THE GAR AND AT AROUND 5800 FT MSL I SAW AN AMBER GLITCH ON THE NAV DISPLAY; BUT NO FURTHER WARNINGS WERE ANNUNCIATED. WE WERE ABOUT 2.5 MI FROM THE APCH END; AND AS SOON AS I STARTED THE MISSED APCH WITHOUT ANY PREDICTIVE WARNINGS WE RECEIVED THE WINDSHEAR REACTIVE MODE; WE HAD DRIVEN INTO A FULL BLOWN WINDSHEAR SCENARIO AND WE HAD RETRACTED THE LNDG GEAR AT THE SAME TIME SINCE WE WERE EXECUTING A NORMAL MISSED APCH; BUT IT ALL HAPPENED AT THE SAME TIME. THE ACFT DWINDLED IN AND OUT OF THE ALPHA AREA MUCH LIKE IN THE SIMULATOR; ENGS WERE AT TOGA SCREAMING; BUT THE ALT WAS HOLDING AT 6000 FT +/-200 FT. IN ALL HONESTY MY CONCERN WAS FOCUSED ON MONITORING THE AUTOPLT FOR IT TO STAY ENGAGED AND FOR US TO STAY IN THE MISSED APCH AS I PUSHED THE NAV TO STAY WITHIN THE SAFE ALT AND MISSED APCH CORRIDOR; STRAIGHT AHEAD IS THE IDEAL SCENARIO; BUT GUA TERRAIN DOES NOT ALLOW FOR THAT LUXURY. I HOPED FOR IT TO END SOON SINCE INITIATING THE TURN FOR THE MISSED COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS; BUT THE OTHER OPTION WAS A CATCH 22; HIT BUILDINGS AND HIGH TERRAIN AND I WANTED TO MAXIMIZE EVERY BIT OF LIFT TO INITIATE THE TURN IN HOPES THAT THE WINDSHEAR WOULD END SOON; EVEN IF IT PRECLUDED FROM GAINING ALT STRAIGHT AHEAD SINCE I COULD NOT SEE THE RWY AT ALL (LASTED FOR ABOUT 7 OR 10 ETERNAL SECONDS). WE CAME OUT OF IT AND AT THE SAME TIME WE CAME OUT OF THE CELL. CLBED TO OUR MISSED APCH ALT WHEN TWR OFFERED TO COME BACK AROUND TO RWY 19. I REQUESTED TO HOLD AT RABINAL VOR AND HE GAVE US 12000 FT HOLD; THERE WAS MODERATE TO SEVERE WX EVERYWHERE (ANOTHER SUMMER DAY AT GUA AND CENTRAL AMERICA). I DEBATED TO GO TO BZE; BUT I HAD CLOSE TO ANOTHER 2400 LBS OF FUEL TO PLAY WITH; SO WE STAYED IN THE HOLD AND AS SOON AS THE CELL MOVED TO THE SW WE STARTED THE VOR/DME APCH TO RWY 19. UPON LNDG AND PARKING AT GATE; THE STATION AGENT SUPVR INFORMED ME THAT THE TWR HAD GIVEN A WINDSHEAR RPT TO ANOTHER ACFT BEFORE ME; BUT HE DID NOT PROVIDE THE RPT TO US WHEN WE ASKED FOR THE WX AND WIND CONDITIONS. I ASKED THE AGENT IF HE WAS CONFUSING MY WINDSHEAR RPT INSTEAD AND HE CONFIRMED THAT HE KNEW WHEN I RPTED IT AFTER OUR MISSED APCH AND HE SAID THAT THE OTHER RPT WAS BEFORE WE INITIATED THEAPCH. IT WAS STRANGE BECAUSE; I NOTICED THAT THE TWR CTLR'S VOICE SOUNDED A LITTLE NERVOUS AFTERWARD ON OUR APCH TO RWY 19. AS MUCH AS I ALWAYS TRY TO STAY AHEAD WHEN I FLY TO CENTRAL AMERICA; I FOUND HOW EASY IT IS AMID ALL OF THE PLANNING AND JUDGEMENT CALLS; HOW THINGS CAN TURN SOUR IN A HEARTBEAT; VERY DISCONCERTING TO SAY THE LEAST. I BELIEVE WHAT SAVED US WAS TO INITIATE THE MISSED BEFORE REACHING OUR PUBLISHED DECISION ALT; IT GAVE US THAT EXTRA ALT TO TRADE FOR OUR WINDSHEAR RECOVERY WHICH WOULD HAVE HAD US IMPACT THE GND HAD WE BEEN LOWER OR AT OUR DECISION ALT; WE'LL NEVER KNOW AND I AM HAPPY WITH IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.