Narrative:

Air carrier operation. Last leg of a 3-DAY rotation, dca-atl. Paperwork (flight plan and WX) indicated planned fuel at destination to be approximately 8000 pounds (far reserve fuel for aircraft is 5000 pounds). Forecast WX for destination was scattered clouds, good visibility. Approaching atl, placed in holding pattern over macey with 11500 pounds of fuel. Thunderstorms in atl vicinity backed approachs up. We coordinated with our company dispatcher for an alternate. Agreed upon tys. WX at tys was again just scattered clouds according to our dispatcher. At our previously agreed upon time, we requested to proceed to our alternate. ZTL gave us a clearance and we headed toward tys. Declared minimum fuel en route. As we arrived in vicinity of tys, we were surprised to find numerous thunderstorms around the airport, since our dispatcher gave us no indication of their presence. It seemed flight control was caught off guard all afternoon about the WX. After vectoring around storms, we were put on final approach behind an MD88. Thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightning was now right over the field. We heard the MD88 go around due to windshear. We were next and elected to continue since another divert was out of the question because of our low fuel state. Sure enough we got the same windshear and went around. Knoxville approach gave us a heading of about 270 degrees for the missed approach. However, that heading was straight into a thunderstorm and the captain took up a heading of about 300 degrees. We were task saturated at this point, when knoxville approach screamed about our heading. There was a light aircraft that was going to be a conflict with us. Indeed we got a TCASII RA. I saw the plane visually and he was no conflict. We declared emergency fuel and set up for one more approach, from which we were able to land. At time of traffic conflict due to crew not adhering to the heading clearance, we were so busy and concerned about the storm and fuel that obtaining permission was not at top of our priority.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR FLC IN AN LGT GETS INTO A MINIMUM FUEL SIT DUE TO TSTMS AT THEIR DEST AND AT THEIR ALTERNATE ARPTS. THE FLC DEVIATES FROM THEIR ASSIGNED HEADING TO AVOID A TSTM AND HAS A CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT.

Narrative: ACR OP. LAST LEG OF A 3-DAY ROTATION, DCA-ATL. PAPERWORK (FLT PLAN AND WX) INDICATED PLANNED FUEL AT DEST TO BE APPROX 8000 LBS (FAR RESERVE FUEL FOR ACFT IS 5000 LBS). FORECAST WX FOR DEST WAS SCATTERED CLOUDS, GOOD VISIBILITY. APCHING ATL, PLACED IN HOLDING PATTERN OVER MACEY WITH 11500 LBS OF FUEL. TSTMS IN ATL VICINITY BACKED APCHS UP. WE COORDINATED WITH OUR COMPANY DISPATCHER FOR AN ALTERNATE. AGREED UPON TYS. WX AT TYS WAS AGAIN JUST SCATTERED CLOUDS ACCORDING TO OUR DISPATCHER. AT OUR PREVIOUSLY AGREED UPON TIME, WE REQUESTED TO PROCEED TO OUR ALTERNATE. ZTL GAVE US A CLRNC AND WE HEADED TOWARD TYS. DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL ENRTE. AS WE ARRIVED IN VICINITY OF TYS, WE WERE SURPRISED TO FIND NUMEROUS TSTMS AROUND THE ARPT, SINCE OUR DISPATCHER GAVE US NO INDICATION OF THEIR PRESENCE. IT SEEMED FLT CTL WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD ALL AFTERNOON ABOUT THE WX. AFTER VECTORING AROUND STORMS, WE WERE PUT ON FINAL APCH BEHIND AN MD88. TSTM WITH HVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING WAS NOW RIGHT OVER THE FIELD. WE HEARD THE MD88 GAR DUE TO WINDSHEAR. WE WERE NEXT AND ELECTED TO CONTINUE SINCE ANOTHER DIVERT WAS OUT OF THE QUESTION BECAUSE OF OUR LOW FUEL STATE. SURE ENOUGH WE GOT THE SAME WINDSHEAR AND WENT AROUND. KNOXVILLE APCH GAVE US A HEADING OF ABOUT 270 DEGS FOR THE MISSED APCH. HOWEVER, THAT HEADING WAS STRAIGHT INTO A TSTM AND THE CAPT TOOK UP A HEADING OF ABOUT 300 DEGS. WE WERE TASK SATURATED AT THIS POINT, WHEN KNOXVILLE APCH SCREAMED ABOUT OUR HEADING. THERE WAS A LIGHT ACFT THAT WAS GOING TO BE A CONFLICT WITH US. INDEED WE GOT A TCASII RA. I SAW THE PLANE VISUALLY AND HE WAS NO CONFLICT. WE DECLARED EMER FUEL AND SET UP FOR ONE MORE APCH, FROM WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO LAND. AT TIME OF TFC CONFLICT DUE TO CREW NOT ADHERING TO THE HEADING CLRNC, WE WERE SO BUSY AND CONCERNED ABOUT THE STORM AND FUEL THAT OBTAINING PERMISSION WAS NOT AT TOP OF OUR PRIORITY.

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.