What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The PIC was training the right seat pilot for SIC, with the SIC occupying a passenger seat in the cabin. The Cessna C650 was over one hour into flight and cruising at FL390 when the PIC decided to overfly an approaching storm, requesting FL430 where they experienced heavy turbulence. The PIC slowed the aircraft and descended to FL390 where the aircraft flew through hail for approximately five minutes. The hail cracked the left windscreen and damaged the radome, leading edges of the wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and engine nacelles. Despite the cracked left windscreen, the PIC deemed the engines and flight controls operational and elected to continue flying over one hour to their home airport. The PIC noted an inoperative autopilot system, a green monochrome crt radar display that was ineffective in determining the tops and bottoms of the inclement weather, and the inability to update foreflight in flight on his tablet as factors in his decision-making that navigated him into the hail.
As the FAA filed it
THE PIC WAS TRAINING THE RIGHT SEAT PILOT FOR SIC, WITH THE SIC OCCUPYING A PASSENGER SEAT IN THE CABIN. THE CESSNA C650 WAS OVER ONE HOUR INTO FLIGHT AND CRUISING AT FL390 WHEN THE PIC DECIDED TO OVERFLY AN APPROACHING STORM, REQUESTING FL430 WHERE THEY EXPERIENCED HEAVY TURBULENCE. THE PIC SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT AND DESCENDED TO FL390 WHERE THE AIRCRAFT FLEW THROUGH HAIL FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES. THE HAIL CRACKED THE LEFT WINDSCREEN AND DAMAGED THE RADOME, LEADING EDGES OF THE WINGS, HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZERS, AND ENGINE NACELLES. DESPITE THE CRACKED LEFT WINDSCREEN, THE PIC DEEMED THE ENGINES AND FLIGHT CONTROLS OPERATIONAL AND ELECTED TO CONTINUE FLYING OVER ONE HOUR TO THEIR HOME AIRPORT. THE PIC NOTED AN INOPERATIVE AUTOPILOT SYSTEM, A GREEN MONOCHROME CRT RADAR DISPLAY THAT WAS INEFFECTIVE IN DETERMINING THE TOPS AND BOTTOMS OF THE INCLEMENT WEATHER, AND THE INABILITY TO UPDATE FOREFLIGHT IN FLIGHT ON HIS TABLET AS FACTORS IN HIS DECISION-MAKING THAT NAVIGATED HIM INTO THE HAIL.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.