Narrative:

On aug/thu/06; I flew a charter for abc FBO in their beech C90B-24PS with first officer X. The route was from air park to sat then alpine; tx; and return mdd. The flight plans were filed the evening before and I checked wsi WX in the morning before the flight and again at sat. An additional trip was scheduled for later in the day to ruidoso; NM; returning to mdd. When we finished the first trip we refueled for the second trip. First officer asked for a departure time and was told XA00. After fueling we locked the plane and went for a burger nearby. We returned about 20 mins later. I started icing down the drink coolers and doing the preflight. First officer X got involved with looking up the ground aircraft unit and filing the flight plans. The passenger showed up early and I proceeded to load baggage and assist in boarding. First officer X took left seat this leg and on taxi out I asked if he had time to file. He said that because our boss had him doing other things he had forgotten; so I contacted midland clearance and obtained our clearance and code. We departed GPS direct ssr. We were above the clouds and had a smooth ride. About 60 mi out ZAB asked us if we had the sierra blanca WX and I responded 'yes 2000 ft scattered; 4000 ft scattered; 7 mi visibility in light rain.' a few mins later; center cleared us 'direct reyok 11000 ft.' shortly thereafter; '11000 ft direct reyok cleared for the approach.' when we were just inside reyok we got the usual 'radar service terminated; change to advisory; cancel this frequency' call. There was no mention of severe WX. We were still at 11000 ft and saw an area of moderate rain just south of the approach course that showed up clearly on radar. We clipped the edge of the rain; which lasted about 1 min. There was an additional area of moderate returns ahead but they kept getting smaller and smaller as we approached and descended. Since the returns got smaller we assumed they were dissipating. The clouds were not dark; we were in and out of IMC and the ATIS was still calling for light showers. I remember asking first officer X if he was comfortable with the situation and we continued the approach. Just before hubou we hit some heavy rain and moderate turbulence. We were approaching at 140 KTS and the GS was just starting to move down. The rain only lasted 1/2 a min; but was very heavy. We broke out at 9500 ft and the field was spotted. I canceled our IFR flight plan and reported the bases at 9500 ft. We landed; deplaned the passenger and noticed the hail damage. I called the office and reported it. The problem initially arose because we were distraction from obtaining the most recent WX briefing. It was exacerbated by center asking us if we had the WX at ssr but not mentioning the WX on the approach course. The interpretation of the onboard radar displays were incorrect. The reduction in echo size probably was attenuation instead of dissipation. We shouldn't have let our ramp tasks or management assignments deter us from getting the most current briefing. En route we should have asked center or flight watch for the area WX instead of expecting them to inform us. We shouldn't have depended on our radar and the ATIS as predictors of the presence of severe WX. Because we didn't have all the pertinent information about the condition in the area we didn't give sufficient thought to landing at an alternate airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE90 PLT RPTS ENCOUNTERING HVY RAIN AND TURB ON FINAL TO SRR. AFTER LNDG HAIL DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED.

Narrative: ON AUG/THU/06; I FLEW A CHARTER FOR ABC FBO IN THEIR BEECH C90B-24PS WITH FO X. THE RTE WAS FROM AIR PARK TO SAT THEN ALPINE; TX; AND RETURN MDD. THE FLT PLANS WERE FILED THE EVENING BEFORE AND I CHKED WSI WX IN THE MORNING BEFORE THE FLT AND AGAIN AT SAT. AN ADDITIONAL TRIP WAS SCHEDULED FOR LATER IN THE DAY TO RUIDOSO; NM; RETURNING TO MDD. WHEN WE FINISHED THE FIRST TRIP WE REFUELED FOR THE SECOND TRIP. FO ASKED FOR A DEP TIME AND WAS TOLD XA00. AFTER FUELING WE LOCKED THE PLANE AND WENT FOR A BURGER NEARBY. WE RETURNED ABOUT 20 MINS LATER. I STARTED ICING DOWN THE DRINK COOLERS AND DOING THE PREFLT. FO X GOT INVOLVED WITH LOOKING UP THE GND ACFT UNIT AND FILING THE FLT PLANS. THE PAX SHOWED UP EARLY AND I PROCEEDED TO LOAD BAGGAGE AND ASSIST IN BOARDING. FO X TOOK L SEAT THIS LEG AND ON TAXI OUT I ASKED IF HE HAD TIME TO FILE. HE SAID THAT BECAUSE OUR BOSS HAD HIM DOING OTHER THINGS HE HAD FORGOTTEN; SO I CONTACTED MIDLAND CLRNC AND OBTAINED OUR CLRNC AND CODE. WE DEPARTED GPS DIRECT SSR. WE WERE ABOVE THE CLOUDS AND HAD A SMOOTH RIDE. ABOUT 60 MI OUT ZAB ASKED US IF WE HAD THE SIERRA BLANCA WX AND I RESPONDED 'YES 2000 FT SCATTERED; 4000 FT SCATTERED; 7 MI VISIBILITY IN LIGHT RAIN.' A FEW MINS LATER; CTR CLRED US 'DIRECT REYOK 11000 FT.' SHORTLY THEREAFTER; '11000 FT DIRECT REYOK CLRED FOR THE APCH.' WHEN WE WERE JUST INSIDE REYOK WE GOT THE USUAL 'RADAR SVC TERMINATED; CHANGE TO ADVISORY; CANCEL THIS FREQ' CALL. THERE WAS NO MENTION OF SEVERE WX. WE WERE STILL AT 11000 FT AND SAW AN AREA OF MODERATE RAIN JUST S OF THE APCH COURSE THAT SHOWED UP CLRLY ON RADAR. WE CLIPPED THE EDGE OF THE RAIN; WHICH LASTED ABOUT 1 MIN. THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL AREA OF MODERATE RETURNS AHEAD BUT THEY KEPT GETTING SMALLER AND SMALLER AS WE APCHED AND DSNDED. SINCE THE RETURNS GOT SMALLER WE ASSUMED THEY WERE DISSIPATING. THE CLOUDS WERE NOT DARK; WE WERE IN AND OUT OF IMC AND THE ATIS WAS STILL CALLING FOR LIGHT SHOWERS. I REMEMBER ASKING FO X IF HE WAS COMFORTABLE WITH THE SITUATION AND WE CONTINUED THE APCH. JUST BEFORE HUBOU WE HIT SOME HVY RAIN AND MODERATE TURB. WE WERE APCHING AT 140 KTS AND THE GS WAS JUST STARTING TO MOVE DOWN. THE RAIN ONLY LASTED 1/2 A MIN; BUT WAS VERY HVY. WE BROKE OUT AT 9500 FT AND THE FIELD WAS SPOTTED. I CANCELED OUR IFR FLT PLAN AND RPTED THE BASES AT 9500 FT. WE LANDED; DEPLANED THE PAX AND NOTICED THE HAIL DAMAGE. I CALLED THE OFFICE AND RPTED IT. THE PROB INITIALLY AROSE BECAUSE WE WERE DISTR FROM OBTAINING THE MOST RECENT WX BRIEFING. IT WAS EXACERBATED BY CTR ASKING US IF WE HAD THE WX AT SSR BUT NOT MENTIONING THE WX ON THE APCH COURSE. THE INTERP OF THE ONBOARD RADAR DISPLAYS WERE INCORRECT. THE REDUCTION IN ECHO SIZE PROBABLY WAS ATTENUATION INSTEAD OF DISSIPATION. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE LET OUR RAMP TASKS OR MGMNT ASSIGNMENTS DETER US FROM GETTING THE MOST CURRENT BRIEFING. ENRTE WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED CTR OR FLT WATCH FOR THE AREA WX INSTEAD OF EXPECTING THEM TO INFORM US. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE DEPENDED ON OUR RADAR AND THE ATIS AS PREDICTORS OF THE PRESENCE OF SEVERE WX. BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL THE PERTINENT INFO ABOUT THE CONDITION IN THE AREA WE DIDN'T GIVE SUFFICIENT THOUGHT TO LNDG AT AN ALTERNATE ARPT.

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.