Narrative:

Inbound to dca, frontal activity was causing very rapid thunderstorm development. Crew decided to approach dca on the finks arrival. Thunderstorms were developing very rapidly between aml and dca. Aircraft were deviating often. Approach gave us a vector to avoid P-56. A turn either way (left or right) would have put us into a heavy cell. We advised approach that we were unable, and approach replied to turn as soon as we could. We cleared the cells and began a turn toward the heading given by approach, however it had taken some time before we cleared the cells and were able to turn to assigned heading. I am not sure if we entered P-56 or not. The controller did not advise us that we did, but everyone was very busy that night, and he may have forgotten to tell us. In an ideal situation, the flight should have been delayed. However, radar was viewed by crew and dispatch and showed only light rain in the dca area. Explosive thunderstorm development occurred from the time we left our destination to when we arrived at dca. Flying through restr airspace is of course a last resort, but it is a viable option to flying through level 4 thunderstorms, when you have no where else to go.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN F100 FLC MAY HAVE PENETRATED P-56 DURING THEIR NIGHT APCH TO DCA WHILE AVOIDING TSTMS. APCH CTLR HAD ATTEMPTED TO VECTOR THEM FOR THE APCH BUT CREW WAS UNABLE TO ACCEPT THE VECTOR ON ACCOUNT OF THE WX.

Narrative: INBOUND TO DCA, FRONTAL ACTIVITY WAS CAUSING VERY RAPID TSTM DEVELOPMENT. CREW DECIDED TO APCH DCA ON THE FINKS ARR. TSTMS WERE DEVELOPING VERY RAPIDLY BTWN AML AND DCA. ACFT WERE DEVIATING OFTEN. APCH GAVE US A VECTOR TO AVOID P-56. A TURN EITHER WAY (L OR R) WOULD HAVE PUT US INTO A HVY CELL. WE ADVISED APCH THAT WE WERE UNABLE, AND APCH REPLIED TO TURN AS SOON AS WE COULD. WE CLRED THE CELLS AND BEGAN A TURN TOWARD THE HEADING GIVEN BY APCH, HOWEVER IT HAD TAKEN SOME TIME BEFORE WE CLRED THE CELLS AND WERE ABLE TO TURN TO ASSIGNED HEADING. I AM NOT SURE IF WE ENTERED P-56 OR NOT. THE CTLR DID NOT ADVISE US THAT WE DID, BUT EVERYONE WAS VERY BUSY THAT NIGHT, AND HE MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN TO TELL US. IN AN IDEAL SIT, THE FLT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DELAYED. HOWEVER, RADAR WAS VIEWED BY CREW AND DISPATCH AND SHOWED ONLY LIGHT RAIN IN THE DCA AREA. EXPLOSIVE TSTM DEVELOPMENT OCCURRED FROM THE TIME WE LEFT OUR DEST TO WHEN WE ARRIVED AT DCA. FLYING THROUGH RESTR AIRSPACE IS OF COURSE A LAST RESORT, BUT IT IS A VIABLE OPTION TO FLYING THROUGH LEVEL 4 TSTMS, WHEN YOU HAVE NO WHERE ELSE TO GO.

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.