Narrative:

Flight approaching cairo was cleared to descend from FL330 to FL120. An area of isolated embedded cbs was being passed. Aircraft had been slowed to turbulence penetration speed and was deviating around cbs on descent with good radar returns received. At FL180 an area of mild precipitation showed on radar not unlike ground clutter, it would not contour. Rain increased in intensity followed by a very brown substance which appeared to be wet sand. The windshields were damaged #2 engine flamed out and the 'pull up' signal occurred several times. The time in the heavy rain/sand was very short, there was less than moderate turbulence, the intensity of the deluge was considerable. Lightning was observed at this time to the left of the aircraft but at some distance. After flying through the sand cloud the aircraft continued to cairo airport and landed uneventfully. My main concern was the lack of adequate return from a perfectly good radar and the hazard involved in flight through wet sand. My crew performed in a cool professional manner. The radome was damaged, the landing light lenses brown out and the windshields partly crazed over, all the static nicks were also missing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR WDB ENCOUNTERED A SAND CLOUD DURING DSCNT INTO CAI THAT RESULTED IN AN ENG FLAME OUT AND OTHER ACFT DAMAGE.

Narrative: FLT APCHING CAIRO WAS CLRED TO DSND FROM FL330 TO FL120. AN AREA OF ISOLATED EMBEDDED CBS WAS BEING PASSED. ACFT HAD BEEN SLOWED TO TURB PENETRATION SPD AND WAS DEVIATING AROUND CBS ON DSCNT WITH GOOD RADAR RETURNS RECEIVED. AT FL180 AN AREA OF MILD PRECIP SHOWED ON RADAR NOT UNLIKE GND CLUTTER, IT WOULD NOT CONTOUR. RAIN INCREASED IN INTENSITY FOLLOWED BY A VERY BROWN SUBSTANCE WHICH APPEARED TO BE WET SAND. THE WINDSHIELDS WERE DAMAGED #2 ENG FLAMED OUT AND THE 'PULL UP' SIGNAL OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE TIME IN THE HVY RAIN/SAND WAS VERY SHORT, THERE WAS LESS THAN MODERATE TURB, THE INTENSITY OF THE DELUGE WAS CONSIDERABLE. LIGHTNING WAS OBSERVED AT THIS TIME TO THE L OF THE ACFT BUT AT SOME DISTANCE. AFTER FLYING THROUGH THE SAND CLOUD THE ACFT CONTINUED TO CAIRO ARPT AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. MY MAIN CONCERN WAS THE LACK OF ADEQUATE RETURN FROM A PERFECTLY GOOD RADAR AND THE HAZARD INVOLVED IN FLT THROUGH WET SAND. MY CREW PERFORMED IN A COOL PROFESSIONAL MANNER. THE RADOME WAS DAMAGED, THE LNDG LIGHT LENSES BROWN OUT AND THE WINDSHIELDS PARTLY CRAZED OVER, ALL THE STATIC NICKS WERE ALSO MISSING.

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.