Narrative:

The problem arises when WX changes in the terminal area. In today's environment it has become too difficult for ATC to react to changing WX conditions. As a pilot, I'm not aware of the big picture of the traffic situation as I arrive at a busy terminal. I have a limited ability to be aware of the WX. Radar attenuation was a problem on this day. We could see the WX on our radar from 75-100 mi away from clt. We could see the areas west of the airport that we did not want to penetrate. Unfortunately, ATC cleared us for the arrival over adena intersection, to the southwest. When we asked for an alternate route the controller refused. The controller informed us that he could see the WX on his radar. He would radar vector us around the heavier parts. He said that everyone else was getting in that way west/O any problems. Once we entered the area of precipitation our radar became useless. It's not an old radar, either. It's a brand new color radar. If the signal does not penetrate the precipitation that we're flying through it's worthless. For the next 20 mins we looked at a blank radar scope, except the red area of precipitation attenuation painting right in front of us. During this time the controller vectored us through rain, snow, sleet, light, moderate and heavy precipitation and turbulence. We did not have any lightning strikes. We noticed some flashes of lightning nearby. I did not feel that my aircraft or life were in jeopardy. I did feel it was a mistake to be flying passenger through this. We both felt that a better course of action would have been to refuse the arrival. We could have entered holding or gone to our alternate airport before entering the area of WX. Someone was asking how much longer he would have to wait for takeoff clearance. The tower informed him that the last 2 departures had experienced lightning strikes and departure control was trying to decide what they were going to do. We considered abandoning the approach because the turbulence was pretty heavy, but we immediately dismissed that option. A go around would take us directly through the area where 2 other aircraft had been hit by lightning moments earlier. We broke out about 100 above minimums with a lot of crab angle. The runway was very wet, the braking action was fair. All 3 of us agreed that it was pretty stupid to have done this on a passenger flight. We departed about 2 hours later. As we taxied out the ATIS was reporting thunderstorm and heavy rain showers at the field. We saw lightning strike 3 times on the south boundary of the field. As we approached the departure end of the runway sleet or small hail started bouncing off the windshield of the aircraft. The wind was quite gusty. Tower cleared us for takeoff. We refused the clearance and informed the tower that we would hold in the runup area until the WX moved off the airport. Human performance considerations: while we waited for the thunderstorm to move away we watched at least a dozen lndgs and as many takeoffs. The conversation between tower and the aircraft that were landing and departing was a series of denials about the WX. In one instance it seemed there was an unspoken corroboration of false information. We saw the sleet/hail start bouncing off the windshield we reported it to the tower. The tower acknowledged. About 10 seconds later an medium large transport broke out of the clouds and touched down less than 500' away. The tower told him about our report of sleet and asked him if he had seen any. He said 'no, just heavy rain.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR FO'S COMPLAINT ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THE APCH HE WANTED FROM CLT TRACON DURING TSTM ACTIVITY.

Narrative: THE PROB ARISES WHEN WX CHANGES IN THE TERMINAL AREA. IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT IT HAS BECOME TOO DIFFICULT FOR ATC TO REACT TO CHANGING WX CONDITIONS. AS A PLT, I'M NOT AWARE OF THE BIG PICTURE OF THE TFC SITUATION AS I ARRIVE AT A BUSY TERMINAL. I HAVE A LIMITED ABILITY TO BE AWARE OF THE WX. RADAR ATTENUATION WAS A PROB ON THIS DAY. WE COULD SEE THE WX ON OUR RADAR FROM 75-100 MI AWAY FROM CLT. WE COULD SEE THE AREAS W OF THE ARPT THAT WE DID NOT WANT TO PENETRATE. UNFORTUNATELY, ATC CLRED US FOR THE ARR OVER ADENA INTXN, TO THE SW. WHEN WE ASKED FOR AN ALTERNATE RTE THE CTLR REFUSED. THE CTLR INFORMED US THAT HE COULD SEE THE WX ON HIS RADAR. HE WOULD RADAR VECTOR US AROUND THE HEAVIER PARTS. HE SAID THAT EVERYONE ELSE WAS GETTING IN THAT WAY W/O ANY PROBS. ONCE WE ENTERED THE AREA OF PRECIPITATION OUR RADAR BECAME USELESS. IT'S NOT AN OLD RADAR, EITHER. IT'S A BRAND NEW COLOR RADAR. IF THE SIGNAL DOES NOT PENETRATE THE PRECIPITATION THAT WE'RE FLYING THROUGH IT'S WORTHLESS. FOR THE NEXT 20 MINS WE LOOKED AT A BLANK RADAR SCOPE, EXCEPT THE RED AREA OF PRECIPITATION ATTENUATION PAINTING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. DURING THIS TIME THE CTLR VECTORED US THROUGH RAIN, SNOW, SLEET, LIGHT, MODERATE AND HEAVY PRECIPITATION AND TURB. WE DID NOT HAVE ANY LIGHTNING STRIKES. WE NOTICED SOME FLASHES OF LIGHTNING NEARBY. I DID NOT FEEL THAT MY ACFT OR LIFE WERE IN JEOPARDY. I DID FEEL IT WAS A MISTAKE TO BE FLYING PAX THROUGH THIS. WE BOTH FELT THAT A BETTER COURSE OF ACTION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO REFUSE THE ARR. WE COULD HAVE ENTERED HOLDING OR GONE TO OUR ALTERNATE ARPT BEFORE ENTERING THE AREA OF WX. SOMEONE WAS ASKING HOW MUCH LONGER HE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR TKOF CLRNC. THE TWR INFORMED HIM THAT THE LAST 2 DEPS HAD EXPERIENCED LIGHTNING STRIKES AND DEP CTL WAS TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO. WE CONSIDERED ABANDONING THE APCH BECAUSE THE TURB WAS PRETTY HEAVY, BUT WE IMMEDIATELY DISMISSED THAT OPTION. A GAR WOULD TAKE US DIRECTLY THROUGH THE AREA WHERE 2 OTHER ACFT HAD BEEN HIT BY LIGHTNING MOMENTS EARLIER. WE BROKE OUT ABOUT 100 ABOVE MINIMUMS WITH A LOT OF CRAB ANGLE. THE RWY WAS VERY WET, THE BRAKING ACTION WAS FAIR. ALL 3 OF US AGREED THAT IT WAS PRETTY STUPID TO HAVE DONE THIS ON A PAX FLT. WE DEPARTED ABOUT 2 HRS LATER. AS WE TAXIED OUT THE ATIS WAS RPTING TSTM AND HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS AT THE FIELD. WE SAW LIGHTNING STRIKE 3 TIMES ON THE S BOUNDARY OF THE FIELD. AS WE APCHED THE DEP END OF THE RWY SLEET OR SMALL HAIL STARTED BOUNCING OFF THE WINDSHIELD OF THE ACFT. THE WIND WAS QUITE GUSTY. TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF. WE REFUSED THE CLRNC AND INFORMED THE TWR THAT WE WOULD HOLD IN THE RUNUP AREA UNTIL THE WX MOVED OFF THE ARPT. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: WHILE WE WAITED FOR THE TSTM TO MOVE AWAY WE WATCHED AT LEAST A DOZEN LNDGS AND AS MANY TKOFS. THE CONVERSATION BTWN TWR AND THE ACFT THAT WERE LNDG AND DEPARTING WAS A SERIES OF DENIALS ABOUT THE WX. IN ONE INSTANCE IT SEEMED THERE WAS AN UNSPOKEN CORROBORATION OF FALSE INFO. WE SAW THE SLEET/HAIL START BOUNCING OFF THE WINDSHIELD WE RPTED IT TO THE TWR. THE TWR ACKNOWLEDGED. ABOUT 10 SECS LATER AN MLG BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AND TOUCHED DOWN LESS THAN 500' AWAY. THE TWR TOLD HIM ABOUT OUR RPT OF SLEET AND ASKED HIM IF HE HAD SEEN ANY. HE SAID 'NO, JUST HEAVY RAIN.'

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