Narrative:

Awaiting departure in takeoff line-up thunderstorm crossed field. Some light/small hail activity was observed impacting my aircraft. This activity was brief and similar to what I have experienced driving without damage to my automobile. Storm was mostly wind and rain. Declined departure on one occasion due to gusting winds and an imminent thunderstorm on field. After passage of one storm cell and prior to arrival of another, I elected to depart after positioning aircraft on runway and painting WX in the direction of our planned departure and determining I could safely depart and avoid the WX. Shortly after lift-off our WX radar failed. We were soon in the WX and after a few moments encountering light turbulence. Notified departure control of loss of WX radar and requested vectors to avoid known storms. During climb out, encountered 2 storm cells of moderate to heavy precipitation and turbulence with possible hail strikes -- noise inside cockpit made communication difficult. After clear of WX, decided to continue to destination as all aircraft system operated normally -- no visible signs of hail damage to aircraft upon walkaround at destination. Wrote up failed WX radar and requested hail inspection as a precaution. Maintenance did find evidence of hail damage on aircraft upper surfaces -- none major. No hail damage to engines, nose, leading edges, suggesting no damage as a result of airborne encounter, but aircraft did get some damage on ground and should have been inspected prior to my departing on initial flight. I was very surprised by this event. Supplemental information from acn 402514: maintenance inspection revealed some ground hail damage, but no in-flight damage. I was shocked by the discovery of ground damage. There were several aircraft damaged on the ground by hail during this storm. I suspect most came from the second band of WX, but I am not certain of this. The damage to our aircraft was cracked control tabs and dented control surfaces. These are not normally seen during aircrew preflight. It would be helpful to establish guidance on operations after encountering ground hail storms. Supplemental information from acn 402947: we notified maintenance control that some small dents were noted on the elevator and lift spoiler surfaces. This was following an inspection done by the mechanic with me, who was R11 qualified. Inspection was made via a deice truck, with lift bucket. Control was informed that quality control would need to inspect damage. Two quality control inspectors responded to inspect and record the damage. One inspector took depth measurements and left for the hangar to check allowable damage limits. Maintenance control reported the flight canceled, aircraft to return to hangar for inspection.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 ACFT AWAITING TKOF WITH APCHING WX AND AS TSTM PASSED OVER FIELD AND A PERIOD OF HAIL ENSUED RESULTING IN DENTS IN UPPER FUSELAGE SURFACES. FLC COULDN'T SEE THE DAMAGE UNTIL OBTAINING A LADDER TO CHK.

Narrative: AWAITING DEP IN TKOF LINE-UP TSTM CROSSED FIELD. SOME LIGHT/SMALL HAIL ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IMPACTING MY ACFT. THIS ACTIVITY WAS BRIEF AND SIMILAR TO WHAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED DRIVING WITHOUT DAMAGE TO MY AUTOMOBILE. STORM WAS MOSTLY WIND AND RAIN. DECLINED DEP ON ONE OCCASION DUE TO GUSTING WINDS AND AN IMMINENT TSTM ON FIELD. AFTER PASSAGE OF ONE STORM CELL AND PRIOR TO ARR OF ANOTHER, I ELECTED TO DEPART AFTER POSITIONING ACFT ON RWY AND PAINTING WX IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR PLANNED DEP AND DETERMINING I COULD SAFELY DEPART AND AVOID THE WX. SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF OUR WX RADAR FAILED. WE WERE SOON IN THE WX AND AFTER A FEW MOMENTS ENCOUNTERING LIGHT TURB. NOTIFIED DEP CTL OF LOSS OF WX RADAR AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO AVOID KNOWN STORMS. DURING CLBOUT, ENCOUNTERED 2 STORM CELLS OF MODERATE TO HVY PRECIPITATION AND TURB WITH POSSIBLE HAIL STRIKES -- NOISE INSIDE COCKPIT MADE COM DIFFICULT. AFTER CLR OF WX, DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO DEST AS ALL ACFT SYS OPERATED NORMALLY -- NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF HAIL DAMAGE TO ACFT UPON WALKAROUND AT DEST. WROTE UP FAILED WX RADAR AND REQUESTED HAIL INSPECTION AS A PRECAUTION. MAINT DID FIND EVIDENCE OF HAIL DAMAGE ON ACFT UPPER SURFACES -- NONE MAJOR. NO HAIL DAMAGE TO ENGS, NOSE, LEADING EDGES, SUGGESTING NO DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF AIRBORNE ENCOUNTER, BUT ACFT DID GET SOME DAMAGE ON GND AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN INSPECTED PRIOR TO MY DEPARTING ON INITIAL FLT. I WAS VERY SURPRISED BY THIS EVENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 402514: MAINT INSPECTION REVEALED SOME GND HAIL DAMAGE, BUT NO INFLT DAMAGE. I WAS SHOCKED BY THE DISCOVERY OF GND DAMAGE. THERE WERE SEVERAL ACFT DAMAGED ON THE GND BY HAIL DURING THIS STORM. I SUSPECT MOST CAME FROM THE SECOND BAND OF WX, BUT I AM NOT CERTAIN OF THIS. THE DAMAGE TO OUR ACFT WAS CRACKED CTL TABS AND DENTED CTL SURFACES. THESE ARE NOT NORMALLY SEEN DURING AIRCREW PREFLT. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ESTABLISH GUIDANCE ON OPS AFTER ENCOUNTERING GND HAIL STORMS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 402947: WE NOTIFIED MAINT CTL THAT SOME SMALL DENTS WERE NOTED ON THE ELEVATOR AND LIFT SPOILER SURFACES. THIS WAS FOLLOWING AN INSPECTION DONE BY THE MECH WITH ME, WHO WAS R11 QUALIFIED. INSPECTION WAS MADE VIA A DEICE TRUCK, WITH LIFT BUCKET. CTL WAS INFORMED THAT QUALITY CTL WOULD NEED TO INSPECT DAMAGE. TWO QUALITY CTL INSPECTORS RESPONDED TO INSPECT AND RECORD THE DAMAGE. ONE INSPECTOR TOOK DEPTH MEASUREMENTS AND LEFT FOR THE HANGAR TO CHK ALLOWABLE DAMAGE LIMITS. MAINT CTL RPTED THE FLT CANCELED, ACFT TO RETURN TO HANGAR FOR INSPECTION.

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.