Failure to reroute aircraft around thunderstorm activity.

Attributes
ACN	112251
Time
Date	198905
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : jot
State Reference	IL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 10000 msl bound upper : 23000
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zau tracon : mcc
Route In Use	enroute airway : zau
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : radar
Qualification	controller : radar
Experience	controller non radar : 8 controller radar : 8
ASRS Report	112251
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : radar
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Level 2 and 3 thunderstorms. Numerous ord and mdw inbnds deviating into another sector. The other sector working numerous ord and mdw departures climbing through descending aircraft. I asked supervisor in charge to either shut off or reroute traffic around thunderstorms so all the proper sectors would get flight data strips. Supervisor informed me that the thunderstorms would dissipate in 10 minutes that there was no need. I asked a pilot if the storms were building or dissipating. He informed me they were building. I asked again for traffic to be rerouted. The supervisor told me to shut up, just work the airplanes and the storm would dissipate shortly. The storm continued to build and still was there 2 hours later. I was still working airplanes descending into departures. I asked a total of 4 times to have traffic rerouted from the supervisor. Finally the controller working the high altitude bdf sector initiated rerouting traffic on his own. The same supervisor said to the bdf controller that he couldn't reroute the traffic, that he should just send the airplanes through the level 2 thunderstorms. Finally the traffic management unit rerouted the airplanes over dbq and into ord and mdw.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FAILURE TO REROUTE ACFT AROUND TSTM ACTIVITY.

Narrative: LEVEL 2 AND 3 TSTMS. NUMEROUS ORD AND MDW INBNDS DEVIATING INTO ANOTHER SECTOR. THE OTHER SECTOR WORKING NUMEROUS ORD AND MDW DEPS CLIMBING THROUGH DSNDING ACFT. I ASKED SUPVR IN CHARGE TO EITHER SHUT OFF OR REROUTE TFC AROUND TSTMS SO ALL THE PROPER SECTORS WOULD GET FLT DATA STRIPS. SUPVR INFORMED ME THAT THE TSTMS WOULD DISSIPATE IN 10 MINUTES THAT THERE WAS NO NEED. I ASKED A PLT IF THE STORMS WERE BUILDING OR DISSIPATING. HE INFORMED ME THEY WERE BUILDING. I ASKED AGAIN FOR TFC TO BE REROUTED. THE SUPVR TOLD ME TO SHUT UP, JUST WORK THE AIRPLANES AND THE STORM WOULD DISSIPATE SHORTLY. THE STORM CONTINUED TO BUILD AND STILL WAS THERE 2 HRS LATER. I WAS STILL WORKING AIRPLANES DSNDING INTO DEPS. I ASKED A TOTAL OF 4 TIMES TO HAVE TFC REROUTED FROM THE SUPVR. FINALLY THE CTLR WORKING THE HIGH ALT BDF SECTOR INITIATED REROUTING TFC ON HIS OWN. THE SAME SUPVR SAID TO THE BDF CTLR THAT HE COULDN'T REROUTE THE TFC, THAT HE SHOULD JUST SEND THE AIRPLANES THROUGH THE LEVEL 2 TSTMS. FINALLY THE TFC MGMNT UNIT REROUTED THE AIRPLANES OVER DBQ AND INTO ORD AND MDW.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.