Narrative:

I advised ny approach that a cell looked to be north my airway while I was flying from hto to tmu. They told me to advise ocean city of my intent and then passed me off to ocean city. I then told the approach controller at ocean city that I had to deviate to the east. He approved this deviation. At this time I was on a heading of 040 which was keeping clear of the cell and moving me in the direction of my destination but not dreamy intersection (original routing was to take me up V14 to the westover 088 to dreamy and then direct lwm). The cell which I estimate to be a level 3 or 4 was directly on V14. Approximately 10-15 mins later, ocean city tried to make me fly a 350 heading. Since this heading would take me directly into the cell I assumed a 315 heading and advised approach. A short time later I entered bdl's sector and I was handed off to them. Bdl in turn made attempts to get me to go back up V14 but the cell was right on this airway. Finally, bdl had me turn to a heading of 120 which was taking me back to my original deviation to the east. At this point I was getting the feeling that I was being ping ponged between approach sectors so I cancelled IFR and attempted to deviate to the east on my own. Since I had ground contact and a further flight to the east would take me into a cloud layer, I descended in a circling hold. Around 5500 I contacted bos and requested an IFR direct lwm. They cleared me direct lwm at 3000. The rest of the flight was uneventful. Problem: neither I nor approach were acting as a team to get me to my destination. I would have appreciated more candor on their part in terms of how I may have been able to amend my altitude and still maintain my original deviation to the east. I was reluctant to ask for lower at first because I was trying to maintain visual separation, once I realized that 040 was going to keep me clear, I would have taken lower. I did ask for a more direct routing but was refused because of controller workload. Both ocean city and bdl were making very obvious attempts at sending me up V14 as if the cell were a figment of my imagination but my eyes and my stormscope were telling me otherwise. The easterly deviation did take me on a more direct routing ot lwm which may have made then suspicious but I chose that heading based north the fact that the sky was clear of any cumulus buildup to the east and looked very bad to the west. Plus a deviation to the west would have required me to fly around the backside of the cell and I couldn't tell what was on the backside.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT WOULD NOT, COULD NOT, ACCEPT ATC INSTRUCTIONS AND CANCELLED IFR CLRNC.

Narrative: I ADVISED NY APCH THAT A CELL LOOKED TO BE N MY AIRWAY WHILE I WAS FLYING FROM HTO TO TMU. THEY TOLD ME TO ADVISE OCEAN CITY OF MY INTENT AND THEN PASSED ME OFF TO OCEAN CITY. I THEN TOLD THE APCH CTLR AT OCEAN CITY THAT I HAD TO DEVIATE TO THE EAST. HE APPROVED THIS DEVIATION. AT THIS TIME I WAS ON A HDG OF 040 WHICH WAS KEEPING CLEAR OF THE CELL AND MOVING ME IN THE DIRECTION OF MY DEST BUT NOT DREAMY INTXN (ORIGINAL ROUTING WAS TO TAKE ME UP V14 TO THE WESTOVER 088 TO DREAMY AND THEN DIRECT LWM). THE CELL WHICH I ESTIMATE TO BE A LEVEL 3 OR 4 WAS DIRECTLY ON V14. APPROX 10-15 MINS LATER, OCEAN CITY TRIED TO MAKE ME FLY A 350 HDG. SINCE THIS HDG WOULD TAKE ME DIRECTLY INTO THE CELL I ASSUMED A 315 HDG AND ADVISED APCH. A SHORT TIME LATER I ENTERED BDL'S SECTOR AND I WAS HANDED OFF TO THEM. BDL IN TURN MADE ATTEMPTS TO GET ME TO GO BACK UP V14 BUT THE CELL WAS RIGHT ON THIS AIRWAY. FINALLY, BDL HAD ME TURN TO A HDG OF 120 WHICH WAS TAKING ME BACK TO MY ORIGINAL DEVIATION TO THE EAST. AT THIS POINT I WAS GETTING THE FEELING THAT I WAS BEING PING PONGED BETWEEN APCH SECTORS SO I CANCELLED IFR AND ATTEMPTED TO DEVIATE TO THE EAST ON MY OWN. SINCE I HAD GND CONTACT AND A FURTHER FLT TO THE EAST WOULD TAKE ME INTO A CLOUD LAYER, I DESCENDED IN A CIRCLING HOLD. AROUND 5500 I CONTACTED BOS AND REQUESTED AN IFR DIRECT LWM. THEY CLRED ME DIRECT LWM AT 3000. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. PROBLEM: NEITHER I NOR APCH WERE ACTING AS A TEAM TO GET ME TO MY DEST. I WOULD HAVE APPRECIATED MORE CANDOR ON THEIR PART IN TERMS OF HOW I MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO AMEND MY ALT AND STILL MAINTAIN MY ORIGINAL DEVIATION TO THE EAST. I WAS RELUCTANT TO ASK FOR LOWER AT FIRST BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION, ONCE I REALIZED THAT 040 WAS GOING TO KEEP ME CLEAR, I WOULD HAVE TAKEN LOWER. I DID ASK FOR A MORE DIRECT ROUTING BUT WAS REFUSED BECAUSE OF CTLR WORKLOAD. BOTH OCEAN CITY AND BDL WERE MAKING VERY OBVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT SENDING ME UP V14 AS IF THE CELL WERE A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION BUT MY EYES AND MY STORMSCOPE WERE TELLING ME OTHERWISE. THE EASTERLY DEVIATION DID TAKE ME ON A MORE DIRECT ROUTING OT LWM WHICH MAY HAVE MADE THEN SUSPICIOUS BUT I CHOSE THAT HDG BASED N THE FACT THAT THE SKY WAS CLEAR OF ANY CUMULUS BUILDUP TO THE EAST AND LOOKED VERY BAD TO THE WEST. PLUS A DEVIATION TO THE WEST WOULD HAVE REQUIRED ME TO FLY AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE CELL AND I COULDN'T TELL WHAT WAS ON THE BACKSIDE.

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.