Narrative:

En route to mia, rerted abeam north florida coast to direct freeport VOR, expect vectors clami STAR to mia. Updated WX still VFR, planned gas, alternate fll. All areas showed scattered clouds, thunderstorms in the vicinity in coastal waters of florida. On approach into mia on final, hit our reserve plus altitude fuel for fll. Rechked fll, ceiling dropped to marginal 6 broken 2 r-f from VFR. Thunderstorm overhead mia. Went missed approach. Brought it in again and landed. Gas was planned too near minimums with no factors in for unplanned vectors, etc. Based on WX, this was okay, but because of thunderstorms, should have been more conservative. Supplemental information from acn 267560: we reviewed our fuel state and estimated a new fuel burn for the longer route required by the new STAR south of mia. Since mia and the alternate were both good, WX wise, we continued on and determined a bingo fuel to divert, based on reserve plus alternate fuel and another 2000 pounds to fly to mia and shoot an approach. We asked the center controller how far south of freeport vectors would take us and they said 25 mi, which came very close to where we did end up being turned and was 1500 pounds above our bingo fuel. We could see a medium size cell of WX about 5-10 mi southwest of mia that traffic was being vectored north of, on downwind, prior to a right turn to the ILS final. We deviated slightly to get around it and asked if another 5 mi would be the turn to base for us. Approach said yes, although we ended up going another 10 and being about 25 mi on final when finally turned in. We had been slowed to 180 KTS over the shoreline, so we had to configure with some flaps then which used more fuel than we had planned on. We shot the approach down to minimums of 200 ft and were in very heavy rain and initiated a missed approach. We were now well below reserve and alternate fuel, both our close alternates had rapidly deteriorating conditions, and we were in a heavy downpour. We declared emergency fuel and requested a short vector back to final from tower who relayed this to approach who we switched to. We declared emergency fuel on the missed approach after we were told that we'd have to get back in line to shoot another approach. With our alternates going down and our options diminishing as time and fuel ran out, we knew we'd need traffic priority. Although our company dispatcher knew our ETA was greatly delayed and that mia was backed up he never sent us any information -- information that may have helped us make a better decision. Supplemental information from acn 267567: WX reports indicated we could safely proceed when center first gave us the rerte. Yet WX went downhill rapidly at destination, alternate, and diversion field and traffic turned out to be heavier than anyone had indicated, resulting in much longer approachs. Result was we ended up with a serious fuel situation which could have become critical. We can't divert every time some showers appear at our destination, but this was a good lesson learned and I will ask more questions in the future, no matter how 'routine' the situation appears.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL EMER DECLARED AFTER MISSED APCH DUE TO TERMINAL AREA WX.

Narrative: ENRTE TO MIA, RERTED ABEAM N FLORIDA COAST TO DIRECT FREEPORT VOR, EXPECT VECTORS CLAMI STAR TO MIA. UPDATED WX STILL VFR, PLANNED GAS, ALTERNATE FLL. ALL AREAS SHOWED SCATTERED CLOUDS, TSTMS IN THE VICINITY IN COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. ON APCH INTO MIA ON FINAL, HIT OUR RESERVE PLUS ALT FUEL FOR FLL. RECHKED FLL, CEILING DROPPED TO MARGINAL 6 BROKEN 2 R-F FROM VFR. TSTM OVERHEAD MIA. WENT MISSED APCH. BROUGHT IT IN AGAIN AND LANDED. GAS WAS PLANNED TOO NEAR MINIMUMS WITH NO FACTORS IN FOR UNPLANNED VECTORS, ETC. BASED ON WX, THIS WAS OKAY, BUT BECAUSE OF TSTMS, SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CONSERVATIVE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 267560: WE REVIEWED OUR FUEL STATE AND ESTIMATED A NEW FUEL BURN FOR THE LONGER RTE REQUIRED BY THE NEW STAR S OF MIA. SINCE MIA AND THE ALTERNATE WERE BOTH GOOD, WX WISE, WE CONTINUED ON AND DETERMINED A BINGO FUEL TO DIVERT, BASED ON RESERVE PLUS ALTERNATE FUEL AND ANOTHER 2000 LBS TO FLY TO MIA AND SHOOT AN APCH. WE ASKED THE CTR CTLR HOW FAR S OF FREEPORT VECTORS WOULD TAKE US AND THEY SAID 25 MI, WHICH CAME VERY CLOSE TO WHERE WE DID END UP BEING TURNED AND WAS 1500 LBS ABOVE OUR BINGO FUEL. WE COULD SEE A MEDIUM SIZE CELL OF WX ABOUT 5-10 MI SW OF MIA THAT TFC WAS BEING VECTORED N OF, ON DOWNWIND, PRIOR TO A R TURN TO THE ILS FINAL. WE DEVIATED SLIGHTLY TO GET AROUND IT AND ASKED IF ANOTHER 5 MI WOULD BE THE TURN TO BASE FOR US. APCH SAID YES, ALTHOUGH WE ENDED UP GOING ANOTHER 10 AND BEING ABOUT 25 MI ON FINAL WHEN FINALLY TURNED IN. WE HAD BEEN SLOWED TO 180 KTS OVER THE SHORELINE, SO WE HAD TO CONFIGURE WITH SOME FLAPS THEN WHICH USED MORE FUEL THAN WE HAD PLANNED ON. WE SHOT THE APCH DOWN TO MINIMUMS OF 200 FT AND WERE IN VERY HVY RAIN AND INITIATED A MISSED APCH. WE WERE NOW WELL BELOW RESERVE AND ALTERNATE FUEL, BOTH OUR CLOSE ALTERNATES HAD RAPIDLY DETERIORATING CONDITIONS, AND WE WERE IN A HVY DOWNPOUR. WE DECLARED EMER FUEL AND REQUESTED A SHORT VECTOR BACK TO FINAL FROM TWR WHO RELAYED THIS TO APCH WHO WE SWITCHED TO. WE DECLARED EMER FUEL ON THE MISSED APCH AFTER WE WERE TOLD THAT WE'D HAVE TO GET BACK IN LINE TO SHOOT ANOTHER APCH. WITH OUR ALTERNATES GOING DOWN AND OUR OPTIONS DIMINISHING AS TIME AND FUEL RAN OUT, WE KNEW WE'D NEED TFC PRIORITY. ALTHOUGH OUR COMPANY DISPATCHER KNEW OUR ETA WAS GREATLY DELAYED AND THAT MIA WAS BACKED UP HE NEVER SENT US ANY INFO -- INFO THAT MAY HAVE HELPED US MAKE A BETTER DECISION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 267567: WX RPTS INDICATED WE COULD SAFELY PROCEED WHEN CTR FIRST GAVE US THE RERTE. YET WX WENT DOWNHILL RAPIDLY AT DEST, ALTERNATE, AND DIVERSION FIELD AND TFC TURNED OUT TO BE HEAVIER THAN ANYONE HAD INDICATED, RESULTING IN MUCH LONGER APCHS. RESULT WAS WE ENDED UP WITH A SERIOUS FUEL SIT WHICH COULD HAVE BECOME CRITICAL. WE CAN'T DIVERT EVERY TIME SOME SHOWERS APPEAR AT OUR DEST, BUT THIS WAS A GOOD LESSON LEARNED AND I WILL ASK MORE QUESTIONS IN THE FUTURE, NO MATTER HOW 'ROUTINE' THE SIT APPEARS.

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.