Narrative:

We were descending from the west toward hilton head airport, 49J, in nice VFR conditions when a small line of scattered rain showers appeared on the radar. (Keep in mind we were not carrying a lot of extra gas to land on a 4300 ft strip with 5 passenger and bags in an small transport jet but enough to make savannah, our alternate airport, if need be.) it looked like the best direction for deviation was to the north around a couple of small cells and come in for a visual to runway 21. The radio was busy but we managed to get this request in to jacksonville center. In a hurried manner the controller disapproved our request for north deviation, directed a southerly heading toward the largest concentration of WX and assigned 6000 ft altitude. We requested a VFR approach and he replied that we could count on it but we probably wouldn't see the airport because of the rain. We were a little confused about his prediction of not seeing the airport because to us it looked good for a visual once we passed the small shower between us and the field. Passing about 10000 ft it became apparent that the assigned heading and altitude combination would put us right in a roll of angry looking clouds extending from a group of thunderstorms to the south. We anxiously waited for a break in the radio traffic and attempted several times to contact the controller to get lower, a new heading or cancel IFR. We had no success because of incessant conversation with other aircraft diverting from savannah airport, which we heard was closed due to WX. We continued our descent to 5000 ft to avoid the angry clouds, remain VFR and reduce the increasing turbulence. Finally, the controller got around to us and issued a clearance to 4000 ft. By this time we were past the airport on the assigned heading and the amount of radio traffic made it a very confusing problem to eventually get our IFR cancelled for a VFR approach. I don't know what we could have done to avoid this situation. I don't fault the controller, he seemed to be doing the best he could with a hand full of airplanes all demanding service. And there probably were factors that I was unaware of to cause our flight to come up on a deadline and have nowhere to go, but it appears to me that ATC is occasionally on the brink of overload and all that is needed is some unforeseen problem to put us in jeopardy or cause us to have to take undesirable action.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF CPR LTT ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT UNCTLED ARPT WERE VECTORED BY ARTCC TOWARD HVY WX, DSNDED BEYOND CLRNC TO STAY VFR AND KEEP ARPT IN SIGHT UNTIL CLRED BY OVERLOADED CTLR.

Narrative: WE WERE DSNDING FROM THE W TOWARD HILTON HEAD ARPT, 49J, IN NICE VFR CONDITIONS WHEN A SMALL LINE OF SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS APPEARED ON THE RADAR. (KEEP IN MIND WE WERE NOT CARRYING A LOT OF EXTRA GAS TO LAND ON A 4300 FT STRIP WITH 5 PAX AND BAGS IN AN SMT JET BUT ENOUGH TO MAKE SAVANNAH, OUR ALTERNATE ARPT, IF NEED BE.) IT LOOKED LIKE THE BEST DIRECTION FOR DEV WAS TO THE N AROUND A COUPLE OF SMALL CELLS AND COME IN FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 21. THE RADIO WAS BUSY BUT WE MANAGED TO GET THIS REQUEST IN TO JACKSONVILLE CENTER. IN A HURRIED MANNER THE CTLR DISAPPROVED OUR REQUEST FOR N DEV, DIRECTED A SOUTHERLY HDG TOWARD THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF WX AND ASSIGNED 6000 FT ALT. WE REQUESTED A VFR APCH AND HE REPLIED THAT WE COULD COUNT ON IT BUT WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T SEE THE ARPT BECAUSE OF THE RAIN. WE WERE A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT HIS PREDICTION OF NOT SEEING THE ARPT BECAUSE TO US IT LOOKED GOOD FOR A VISUAL ONCE WE PASSED THE SMALL SHOWER BTWN US AND THE FIELD. PASSING ABOUT 10000 FT IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE ASSIGNED HDG AND ALT COMBINATION WOULD PUT US RIGHT IN A ROLL OF ANGRY LOOKING CLOUDS EXTENDING FROM A GROUP OF TSTMS TO THE S. WE ANXIOUSLY WAITED FOR A BREAK IN THE RADIO TFC AND ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO CONTACT THE CTLR TO GET LOWER, A NEW HDG OR CANCEL IFR. WE HAD NO SUCCESS BECAUSE OF INCESSANT CONVERSATION WITH OTHER ACFT DIVERTING FROM SAVANNAH ARPT, WHICH WE HEARD WAS CLOSED DUE TO WX. WE CONTINUED OUR DSCNT TO 5000 FT TO AVOID THE ANGRY CLOUDS, REMAIN VFR AND REDUCE THE INCREASING TURB. FINALLY, THE CTLR GOT AROUND TO US AND ISSUED A CLRNC TO 4000 FT. BY THIS TIME WE WERE PAST THE ARPT ON THE ASSIGNED HDG AND THE AMOUNT OF RADIO TFC MADE IT A VERY CONFUSING PROBLEM TO EVENTUALLY GET OUR IFR CANCELLED FOR A VFR APCH. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE TO AVOID THIS SITUATION. I DON'T FAULT THE CTLR, HE SEEMED TO BE DOING THE BEST HE COULD WITH A HAND FULL OF AIRPLANES ALL DEMANDING SVC. AND THERE PROBABLY WERE FACTORS THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF TO CAUSE OUR FLT TO COME UP ON A DEADLINE AND HAVE NOWHERE TO GO, BUT IT APPEARS TO ME THAT ATC IS OCCASIONALLY ON THE BRINK OF OVERLOAD AND ALL THAT IS NEEDED IS SOME UNFORESEEN PROBLEM TO PUT US IN JEOPARDY OR CAUSE US TO HAVE TO TAKE UNDESIRABLE ACTION.

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.