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ZDC controller described a heavily impacted traffic period by weather conditions resulting in multiple airspace infractions due to deviation events. The reporter listed the lack of tmu interventions as problematic.

Narrative:

Sectors 18 and 19 were heavily impacted with weather and deviations all morning. The supervisor had asked the traffic management unit (tmu) to shut down the traffic but that was not accomplished. All aircraft were deviating off of their single flow routing and departures were still coming off metropolitan airports. With all of the climbing and descending traffic all deviating it was a complex situation. Aircraft were routinely deviating into adjacent airspace including new york center and philadelphia approach. A321 deviated well into new york center airspace and could not return to the korry arrival. My d-side and tracker were unable to get new york center sectors to answer land lines for coordination/point outs. The situation was unsafe as A321 was more than 20 miles outside of my airspace. I advised A321 to squawk emergency. Eventually my assistants were able to effect coordination and new york approach took radar. The weather situation was ongoing all morning and yet tmu continued to send aircraft into known weather; even after repeated attempts by the supervisor to get the traffic stopped. We should not continue to push aircraft through severe weather areas; tmu should take preemptive; safety conscious steps to avoid these repeated situations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZDC Controller described a heavily impacted traffic period by weather conditions resulting in multiple airspace infractions due to deviation events. The reporter listed the lack of TMU interventions as problematic.

Narrative: Sectors 18 and 19 were heavily impacted with weather and deviations all morning. The Supervisor had asked the Traffic Management Unit (TMU) to shut down the traffic but that was not accomplished. All aircraft were deviating off of their single flow routing and departures were still coming off metropolitan airports. With all of the climbing and descending traffic all deviating it was a complex situation. Aircraft were routinely deviating into adjacent airspace including New York Center and Philadelphia Approach. A321 deviated well into New York Center airspace and could not return to the Korry Arrival. My D-Side and Tracker were unable to get New York Center sectors to answer land lines for coordination/point outs. The situation was unsafe as A321 was more than 20 miles outside of my airspace. I advised A321 to squawk emergency. Eventually my assistants were able to effect coordination and New York Approach took RADAR. The weather situation was ongoing all morning and yet TMU continued to send aircraft into known weather; even after repeated attempts by the Supervisor to get the traffic stopped. We should not continue to push aircraft through severe weather areas; TMU should take preemptive; safety conscious steps to avoid these repeated situations.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.