Narrative:

Flight departed ZZZ1 as a part 91 business trip to ZZZ. The first leg was uneventful. The trip was a planned 4 day business trip to ZZZ. On the night before the return leg; severe WX made its way through the area. There was reported severe thunderstorms and tornados. The morning of the return date; the FBO called and stated that there was storm damage to many of the airplanes on the field from the night before and asked that I come to the airport to inspect the aircraft. I was acting as sic as the owner is the PIC and PF. He was unavailable so I went to check the status of the damage. I inspected the beechjet for damage. There were several dimples on the nose but the radome was free of damage. The windshield was undamaged along with the leading edges of the main wing. Also; the main wing was clean from the leading edge back to past the spoilers. Hail made several dimples on the flaps and other control surfaces. In my impression none were deep enough to stop a tic-tac from rolling out of it. There were some dimples along the top of the fuselage but none that I thought were extreme enough to ground the airplane. I retrieved a ladder and examined the horizontal stabilizer and elevator for damage. I found 1 mark on the right horizontal stabilizer that I noted. The leading edge of the stabilizer was undamaged and the main portion had only a few dimples on both sides. The elevator had several dimples but again; none that I thought warranted any action. On board the airplane we have a flow sheet that details pilot action in case of a maintenance situation. So I followed that sheet and called our flight following after-hours number. Our follower returned my call a few moments later. I advised him of the situation and he then called our maintenance department who then called me. I explained to the mechanic the extent of the hail damage. I also discussed the area on top of the horizontal stabilizer that caught my attention. The mechanic stated he would get in the manual and call me back. After I ended that conversation; I called my chief pilot. I briefed him on the situation and my impression of the status of the aircraft. I told him I was awaiting the return call from maintenance and that I would call him back as soon as I heard something. The mechanic called back approximately 45 mins later. He asked me if the leading edges of the wing were undamaged and I answered yes. He asked if the leading edges of the horizontal stabilizer were undamaged and I said yes. He asked if the windscreen was damaged and I said no. He stated that he looked in the beechjet maintenance manual under the FOD section. He relayed that as long as those previously mentioned surfaces were good; the airplane was good to fly. We talked about the mark on top of the stabilizer and he stated that the strength of the skin of that surface is quite strong and as long as there wasn't a dent under the mark; he felt it wasn't grounding damage. I asked if he wanted me to send him some pictures and he stated he didn't have means to receive them. I called the owner/PIC and informed him of the situation. I told him that I felt the airplane was airworthy and that I had been in contact with our maintenance department. I called the chief pilot back and briefed him on everything the maintainer and the owner said. I told him I felt the airplane was airworthy. He stated it was up to me but as long as I felt confident of the aircraft we could return. The owner showed up and performed his own inspection and concluded that the aircraft was airworthy. We departed shortly afterwards and the flight returned to ZZZ1 uneventfully. Both the owner and I called the chief pilot and discussed the day's events. I did a postflt walkaround with the mechanic who I briefed on the phone. I then left for the evening. I used my chain of command and resources of the company. I had never before had an aircraft experience hail damage and was unaware of the level of damage that makes an airplane unairworthy. If this were to happen again; I would ensure that a mechanic familiar in structures examined the aircraft before it flew. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated he was trying to help the contract maintenance provider; who was at a different station; determine the airworthiness of the aircraft after the previous night's storm and hail damage. After much phone discussion; both he; the captain and the contract maintenance mechanic believed the aircraft was airworthy. No logbook write-up was made to address any of the hail damage. However; upon arriving at a downline station; the aircraft was re-inspected and one area of hail damage on the aluminum wing and one area on the composite horizontal stabilizer were found beyond limits for flight. Reporter stated that at that point; the aircraft required a ferry flight to a maintenance base.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A RAYTHEON BEECHJET BE-400A FIRST OFFICER DESCRIBES THE EVENTS THAT LED TO THEIR ACCEPTING AND FLYING AN ACFT WITH HAIL DAMAGE.

Narrative: FLT DEPARTED ZZZ1 AS A PART 91 BUSINESS TRIP TO ZZZ. THE FIRST LEG WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE TRIP WAS A PLANNED 4 DAY BUSINESS TRIP TO ZZZ. ON THE NIGHT BEFORE THE RETURN LEG; SEVERE WX MADE ITS WAY THROUGH THE AREA. THERE WAS RPTED SEVERE TSTMS AND TORNADOS. THE MORNING OF THE RETURN DATE; THE FBO CALLED AND STATED THAT THERE WAS STORM DAMAGE TO MANY OF THE AIRPLANES ON THE FIELD FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE AND ASKED THAT I COME TO THE ARPT TO INSPECT THE ACFT. I WAS ACTING AS SIC AS THE OWNER IS THE PIC AND PF. HE WAS UNAVAILABLE SO I WENT TO CHK THE STATUS OF THE DAMAGE. I INSPECTED THE BEECHJET FOR DAMAGE. THERE WERE SEVERAL DIMPLES ON THE NOSE BUT THE RADOME WAS FREE OF DAMAGE. THE WINDSHIELD WAS UNDAMAGED ALONG WITH THE LEADING EDGES OF THE MAIN WING. ALSO; THE MAIN WING WAS CLEAN FROM THE LEADING EDGE BACK TO PAST THE SPOILERS. HAIL MADE SEVERAL DIMPLES ON THE FLAPS AND OTHER CTL SURFACES. IN MY IMPRESSION NONE WERE DEEP ENOUGH TO STOP A TIC-TAC FROM ROLLING OUT OF IT. THERE WERE SOME DIMPLES ALONG THE TOP OF THE FUSELAGE BUT NONE THAT I THOUGHT WERE EXTREME ENOUGH TO GND THE AIRPLANE. I RETRIEVED A LADDER AND EXAMINED THE HORIZ STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR FOR DAMAGE. I FOUND 1 MARK ON THE R HORIZ STABILIZER THAT I NOTED. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE STABILIZER WAS UNDAMAGED AND THE MAIN PORTION HAD ONLY A FEW DIMPLES ON BOTH SIDES. THE ELEVATOR HAD SEVERAL DIMPLES BUT AGAIN; NONE THAT I THOUGHT WARRANTED ANY ACTION. ON BOARD THE AIRPLANE WE HAVE A FLOW SHEET THAT DETAILS PLT ACTION IN CASE OF A MAINT SITUATION. SO I FOLLOWED THAT SHEET AND CALLED OUR FLT FOLLOWING AFTER-HRS NUMBER. OUR FOLLOWER RETURNED MY CALL A FEW MOMENTS LATER. I ADVISED HIM OF THE SITUATION AND HE THEN CALLED OUR MAINT DEPT WHO THEN CALLED ME. I EXPLAINED TO THE MECH THE EXTENT OF THE HAIL DAMAGE. I ALSO DISCUSSED THE AREA ON TOP OF THE HORIZ STABILIZER THAT CAUGHT MY ATTN. THE MECH STATED HE WOULD GET IN THE MANUAL AND CALL ME BACK. AFTER I ENDED THAT CONVERSATION; I CALLED MY CHIEF PLT. I BRIEFED HIM ON THE SITUATION AND MY IMPRESSION OF THE STATUS OF THE ACFT. I TOLD HIM I WAS AWAITING THE RETURN CALL FROM MAINT AND THAT I WOULD CALL HIM BACK AS SOON AS I HEARD SOMETHING. THE MECH CALLED BACK APPROX 45 MINS LATER. HE ASKED ME IF THE LEADING EDGES OF THE WING WERE UNDAMAGED AND I ANSWERED YES. HE ASKED IF THE LEADING EDGES OF THE HORIZ STABILIZER WERE UNDAMAGED AND I SAID YES. HE ASKED IF THE WINDSCREEN WAS DAMAGED AND I SAID NO. HE STATED THAT HE LOOKED IN THE BEECHJET MAINT MANUAL UNDER THE FOD SECTION. HE RELAYED THAT AS LONG AS THOSE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED SURFACES WERE GOOD; THE AIRPLANE WAS GOOD TO FLY. WE TALKED ABOUT THE MARK ON TOP OF THE STABILIZER AND HE STATED THAT THE STRENGTH OF THE SKIN OF THAT SURFACE IS QUITE STRONG AND AS LONG AS THERE WASN'T A DENT UNDER THE MARK; HE FELT IT WASN'T GROUNDING DAMAGE. I ASKED IF HE WANTED ME TO SEND HIM SOME PICTURES AND HE STATED HE DIDN'T HAVE MEANS TO RECEIVE THEM. I CALLED THE OWNER/PIC AND INFORMED HIM OF THE SITUATION. I TOLD HIM THAT I FELT THE AIRPLANE WAS AIRWORTHY AND THAT I HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OUR MAINT DEPT. I CALLED THE CHIEF PLT BACK AND BRIEFED HIM ON EVERYTHING THE MAINTAINER AND THE OWNER SAID. I TOLD HIM I FELT THE AIRPLANE WAS AIRWORTHY. HE STATED IT WAS UP TO ME BUT AS LONG AS I FELT CONFIDENT OF THE ACFT WE COULD RETURN. THE OWNER SHOWED UP AND PERFORMED HIS OWN INSPECTION AND CONCLUDED THAT THE ACFT WAS AIRWORTHY. WE DEPARTED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS AND THE FLT RETURNED TO ZZZ1 UNEVENTFULLY. BOTH THE OWNER AND I CALLED THE CHIEF PLT AND DISCUSSED THE DAY'S EVENTS. I DID A POSTFLT WALKAROUND WITH THE MECH WHO I BRIEFED ON THE PHONE. I THEN LEFT FOR THE EVENING. I USED MY CHAIN OF COMMAND AND RESOURCES OF THE COMPANY. I HAD NEVER BEFORE HAD AN ACFT EXPERIENCE HAIL DAMAGE AND WAS UNAWARE OF THE LEVEL OF DAMAGE THAT MAKES AN AIRPLANE UNAIRWORTHY. IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN AGAIN; I WOULD ENSURE THAT A MECH FAMILIAR IN STRUCTURES EXAMINED THE ACFT BEFORE IT FLEW. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED HE WAS TRYING TO HELP THE CONTRACT MAINT PROVIDER; WHO WAS AT A DIFFERENT STATION; DETERMINE THE AIRWORTHINESS OF THE ACFT AFTER THE PREVIOUS NIGHT'S STORM AND HAIL DAMAGE. AFTER MUCH PHONE DISCUSSION; BOTH HE; THE CAPTAIN AND THE CONTRACT MAINT MECHANIC BELIEVED THE ACFT WAS AIRWORTHY. NO LOGBOOK WRITE-UP WAS MADE TO ADDRESS ANY OF THE HAIL DAMAGE. HOWEVER; UPON ARRIVING AT A DOWNLINE STATION; THE ACFT WAS RE-INSPECTED AND ONE AREA OF HAIL DAMAGE ON THE ALUMINUM WING AND ONE AREA ON THE COMPOSITE HORIZONTAL STAB WERE FOUND BEYOND LIMITS FOR FLIGHT. REPORTER STATED THAT AT THAT POINT; THE ACFT REQUIRED A FERRY FLIGHT TO A MAINT BASE.

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.