Narrative:

On initial climb we encountered hail starting at approximately 2;000 ft and continuing until 3;000 ft. I notified tower and departure control to warn aircraft departing and/or arriving in the airspace. No damage found when viewing the visible areas of the aircraft from the cockpit. After passing 10;000 fti told the flight attendant to ask the two crew members (pilots) riding in the back to check and see if any damage was visible from the cabin. No damage found by the two crew members during their cabin inspection. I continued the flight and the landing was uneventfully. Post flight inspection found two dents on the nose and two dents above the cockpit. All four dents were not visible from the cockpit or cabin in flight. The dents were visible when viewed from an angle at ground level. I called tower/departure control; company maintenance control; and the company chief pilot and informed everyone of the aircraft damage found on our post flight inspection. After the flight I completed the first of two irregularity reports documenting the structural damage caused by the hail encounter. The director of safety informed me that the damage sustained during the flight made the aircraft non-airworthy. Repairs would or were to be made by maintenance personnel to return the aircraft back to service. Events leading up to the hail encounter: ground or tower informed all aircraft waiting for takeoff about moderate and/or heavy rain to the south. We were number 3 with another aircraft waiting in the hold area. The two aircraft departed ahead of us and no adverse weather was reported. When given position and hold for runway xx we used the radar to view the weather prior to takeoff. Our initial turn was to the right outside of the radar coverage area. No weather reported by ATC for the direction of turn. Prior to takeoff; the area past 6 NM had returns of green and yellow using 4 degrees up and 10 NM scale. Our profile would have us turning well before this area on the radar presentation. I did not consider this weather a factor for the takeoff. Following the takeoff profile we started our turn (I believe it was to a heading of 030) at 400 ft AGL and at 1;000 ft AGL the non-flying pilot requested flight level change and 210 KTS on the MCP. This is when we encounter the first signs of hail. The hail lasted until 3;000 ft MSL. The intensity was not constant but at irregular intervals. Followed the company profile and no abnormal cockpit indications were observed. I selected climb 1 to assist in the rate of climb out of the hail. In the turn I did not see or do remember seeing any returns on the radar as the radar sweep image lags the aircraft rate of turn. We were IMC and the ride was smooth and at worst light chop before and during the hail encounter. The ride reported by the flight attendants was choppy. When technology is available that can detect hail accurately and consistently this will help flight crews avoid hail.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMB170 Captain reports encountering large hail shortly after takeoff. This hail was not reported by previous departures and was not visible on the Radar. Several dents in the nose area were discovered on post flight causing the aircraft to be removed from service.

Narrative: On initial climb we encountered hail starting at approximately 2;000 FT and continuing until 3;000 FT. I notified Tower and Departure Control to warn aircraft departing and/or arriving in the airspace. No damage found when viewing the visible areas of the aircraft from the cockpit. After passing 10;000 FTI told the Flight Attendant to ask the two crew members (pilots) riding in the back to check and see if any damage was visible from the cabin. No damage found by the two crew members during their cabin inspection. I continued the flight and the landing was uneventfully. Post flight inspection found two dents on the nose and two dents above the cockpit. All four dents were not visible from the cockpit or cabin in flight. The dents were visible when viewed from an angle at ground level. I called Tower/Departure Control; Company Maintenance Control; and the Company Chief Pilot and informed everyone of the aircraft damage found on our post flight inspection. After the flight I completed the first of two Irregularity Reports documenting the structural damage caused by the hail encounter. The Director of Safety informed me that the damage sustained during the flight made the aircraft non-airworthy. Repairs would or were to be made by maintenance personnel to return the aircraft back to service. Events leading up to the hail encounter: Ground or Tower informed all aircraft waiting for takeoff about moderate and/or heavy rain to the South. We were number 3 with another aircraft waiting in the hold area. The two aircraft departed ahead of us and no adverse weather was reported. When given position and hold for Runway XX we used the radar to view the weather prior to takeoff. Our initial turn was to the right outside of the radar coverage area. No weather reported by ATC for the direction of turn. Prior to takeoff; the area past 6 NM had returns of green and yellow using 4 degrees up and 10 NM scale. Our profile would have us turning well before this area on the radar presentation. I did not consider this weather a factor for the takeoff. Following the takeoff profile we started our turn (I believe it was to a heading of 030) at 400 FT AGL and at 1;000 FT AGL the non-flying pilot requested Flight Level Change and 210 KTS on the MCP. This is when we encounter the first signs of hail. The hail lasted until 3;000 FT MSL. The intensity was not constant but at irregular intervals. Followed the company profile and no abnormal cockpit indications were observed. I selected climb 1 to assist in the rate of climb out of the hail. In the turn I did not see or do remember seeing any returns on the radar as the radar sweep image lags the aircraft rate of turn. We were IMC and the ride was smooth and at worst light chop before and during the hail encounter. The ride reported by the Flight Attendants was choppy. When technology is available that can detect hail accurately and consistently this will help flight crews avoid hail.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.