Narrative:

Planning the return leg, the WX was better than 3000 ft AGL broken and better than 10 mi visibility. The destination airport was cos for a fuel stop. Takeoff from sbs on a 4500 ft runway at 6800 ft MSL field elevation with the passenger load required a minimum fuel load. The estimated time en route was 35 mins direct or 45 mins via the airways. No alternate was required at cos, so only 45 mins of reserve fuel was planned. Total fuel required for IFR from sbs to cos was 1 hour 30 mins. My aircraft had 2 hours on board when we loaded passenger. Takeoff and climb performance was excellent at this weight and any unexpected icing or turbulence would not be a factor. I filed direct to cos and FL190. However, as we started engines, the WX hit unexpectedly with a snow squall that lowered visibility and increased wind out of the north. To get a void time clearance for departure, I called denver radio on the ground and then went to the end of the runway, expecting a prompt response. After several further calls to denver radio, explaining the deteriorating WX and fuel planning, I patiently waited at least 30 mins for clearance and release. Still, my fuel was legal when we departed, but extreme turbulence and icing caused faster depletion of fuel than expected. Initially cleared via the airways, I asked for direct and was refused. Then I asked for WX at possible alternate airport near sbs and was told it was below minimums for ILS. Changing controllers, I was told to expect radar vectors and cleared to a heading off the airways and more south than I felt I could fly with the fuel remaining, without knowing what to expect. So, I asked again for direct and told denver that I was short on fuel for any more vectoring. I was then cleared direct to cos. When told to change to another denver frequency, I was told to again turn to a vector heading far south. Denver replied that it was at the request of the next controller. I then told the next controller that I would need direct due to fuel and when refused, I declared a low fuel situation. It was then obvious that cos was going to be too close for the amount of fuel I had remaining and I asked for the nearest WX and airport. I was told that eagle airport was VFR, so I requested a change to ege. Only about 20 mi away, I turned and began descent, landing with approximately 1 hour of fuel. Denver asked me to call and I did. I explained that my decisions were based upon the unknown of what to expect with the vectors the controllers were giving me, not departing sbs with adequate fuel for the trip. I explained that declaring a low or critical fuel situation was appropriate at the time and changing destinations also appropriate. After explaining the reason for departing with only the fuel I needed for the trip was a safety decision based upon aircraft performance, not stupidity, and that my fuel was not really low or critical at the time, unless the controllers did what they did by giving me ridiculous vectors (which they did), and that changing my destination was prudent under the circumstances. I feel that denver radio failed to grasp my situation sitting at the end of the runway ready for takeoff as the WX became worse by the min. Although the aircraft and pilot were perfectly capable of the WX and the fuel situation a close call at the time, denver radio should have been able to obtain a clearance in less time than 30 mins -- particularly when told repeatedly of the urgency of the departure and deteriorating WX. The one thing a pilot can not do, that I know of, is to read the minds of the controllers and know in advance that a 30-45 min flight might take 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours to do because of flow control or traffic. ZDV and denver radio both failed to advise me of any expected routing, delays, or out of the way vectors that could have caused me to run dangerously low on fuel over the rockies in IMC and icing conditions with 8 passenger. Had I been advised of the possibility of such untimely delays or vectors, my decision to depart might have been different. Either more fuel or another day. Fortunately, the WX was moving in from the north and airports south were still VFR. This, too, may have been different, but I knew I had a way to go, just did not know I wouldbe required to use my alternate plan in such a way. My concern here is that even after declaring a low or critical fuel situation to ZDV, I was vectored again away from direct flight to my destination, almost without regard for my requests. At that point is when I made the decision to change my destination to ege. The cause of this event was the 'unknown.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SW3 ACFT DEPARTED HIGH ALT ARPT IN DETERIORATING WX CONDITIONS. ENCOUNTERED REPEATED ATC DELAYS WHICH RESULTED IN DIVERSION TO ARPT SHORT OF ORIGINAL DEST DUE TO INADEQUATE FUEL TO COMPLETE FLT TO DEST.

Narrative: PLANNING THE RETURN LEG, THE WX WAS BETTER THAN 3000 FT AGL BROKEN AND BETTER THAN 10 MI VISIBILITY. THE DEST ARPT WAS COS FOR A FUEL STOP. TKOF FROM SBS ON A 4500 FT RWY AT 6800 FT MSL FIELD ELEVATION WITH THE PAX LOAD REQUIRED A MINIMUM FUEL LOAD. THE ESTIMATED TIME ENRTE WAS 35 MINS DIRECT OR 45 MINS VIA THE AIRWAYS. NO ALTERNATE WAS REQUIRED AT COS, SO ONLY 45 MINS OF RESERVE FUEL WAS PLANNED. TOTAL FUEL REQUIRED FOR IFR FROM SBS TO COS WAS 1 HR 30 MINS. MY ACFT HAD 2 HRS ON BOARD WHEN WE LOADED PAX. TKOF AND CLB PERFORMANCE WAS EXCELLENT AT THIS WT AND ANY UNEXPECTED ICING OR TURB WOULD NOT BE A FACTOR. I FILED DIRECT TO COS AND FL190. HOWEVER, AS WE STARTED ENGS, THE WX HIT UNEXPECTEDLY WITH A SNOW SQUALL THAT LOWERED VISIBILITY AND INCREASED WIND OUT OF THE N. TO GET A VOID TIME CLRNC FOR DEP, I CALLED DENVER RADIO ON THE GND AND THEN WENT TO THE END OF THE RWY, EXPECTING A PROMPT RESPONSE. AFTER SEVERAL FURTHER CALLS TO DENVER RADIO, EXPLAINING THE DETERIORATING WX AND FUEL PLANNING, I PATIENTLY WAITED AT LEAST 30 MINS FOR CLRNC AND RELEASE. STILL, MY FUEL WAS LEGAL WHEN WE DEPARTED, BUT EXTREME TURB AND ICING CAUSED FASTER DEPLETION OF FUEL THAN EXPECTED. INITIALLY CLRED VIA THE AIRWAYS, I ASKED FOR DIRECT AND WAS REFUSED. THEN I ASKED FOR WX AT POSSIBLE ALTERNATE ARPT NEAR SBS AND WAS TOLD IT WAS BELOW MINIMUMS FOR ILS. CHANGING CTLRS, I WAS TOLD TO EXPECT RADAR VECTORS AND CLRED TO A HDG OFF THE AIRWAYS AND MORE S THAN I FELT I COULD FLY WITH THE FUEL REMAINING, WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT. SO, I ASKED AGAIN FOR DIRECT AND TOLD DENVER THAT I WAS SHORT ON FUEL FOR ANY MORE VECTORING. I WAS THEN CLRED DIRECT TO COS. WHEN TOLD TO CHANGE TO ANOTHER DENVER FREQ, I WAS TOLD TO AGAIN TURN TO A VECTOR HDG FAR S. DENVER REPLIED THAT IT WAS AT THE REQUEST OF THE NEXT CTLR. I THEN TOLD THE NEXT CTLR THAT I WOULD NEED DIRECT DUE TO FUEL AND WHEN REFUSED, I DECLARED A LOW FUEL SIT. IT WAS THEN OBVIOUS THAT COS WAS GOING TO BE TOO CLOSE FOR THE AMOUNT OF FUEL I HAD REMAINING AND I ASKED FOR THE NEAREST WX AND ARPT. I WAS TOLD THAT EAGLE ARPT WAS VFR, SO I REQUESTED A CHANGE TO EGE. ONLY ABOUT 20 MI AWAY, I TURNED AND BEGAN DSCNT, LNDG WITH APPROX 1 HR OF FUEL. DENVER ASKED ME TO CALL AND I DID. I EXPLAINED THAT MY DECISIONS WERE BASED UPON THE UNKNOWN OF WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE VECTORS THE CTLRS WERE GIVING ME, NOT DEPARTING SBS WITH ADEQUATE FUEL FOR THE TRIP. I EXPLAINED THAT DECLARING A LOW OR CRITICAL FUEL SIT WAS APPROPRIATE AT THE TIME AND CHANGING DESTS ALSO APPROPRIATE. AFTER EXPLAINING THE REASON FOR DEPARTING WITH ONLY THE FUEL I NEEDED FOR THE TRIP WAS A SAFETY DECISION BASED UPON ACFT PERFORMANCE, NOT STUPIDITY, AND THAT MY FUEL WAS NOT REALLY LOW OR CRITICAL AT THE TIME, UNLESS THE CTLRS DID WHAT THEY DID BY GIVING ME RIDICULOUS VECTORS (WHICH THEY DID), AND THAT CHANGING MY DEST WAS PRUDENT UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. I FEEL THAT DENVER RADIO FAILED TO GRASP MY SIT SITTING AT THE END OF THE RWY READY FOR TKOF AS THE WX BECAME WORSE BY THE MIN. ALTHOUGH THE ACFT AND PLT WERE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF THE WX AND THE FUEL SIT A CLOSE CALL AT THE TIME, DENVER RADIO SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OBTAIN A CLRNC IN LESS TIME THAN 30 MINS -- PARTICULARLY WHEN TOLD REPEATEDLY OF THE URGENCY OF THE DEP AND DETERIORATING WX. THE ONE THING A PLT CAN NOT DO, THAT I KNOW OF, IS TO READ THE MINDS OF THE CTLRS AND KNOW IN ADVANCE THAT A 30-45 MIN FLT MIGHT TAKE 1 HR TO 1 1/2 HRS TO DO BECAUSE OF FLOW CTL OR TFC. ZDV AND DENVER RADIO BOTH FAILED TO ADVISE ME OF ANY EXPECTED ROUTING, DELAYS, OR OUT OF THE WAY VECTORS THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO RUN DANGEROUSLY LOW ON FUEL OVER THE ROCKIES IN IMC AND ICING CONDITIONS WITH 8 PAX. HAD I BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH UNTIMELY DELAYS OR VECTORS, MY DECISION TO DEPART MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. EITHER MORE FUEL OR ANOTHER DAY. FORTUNATELY, THE WX WAS MOVING IN FROM THE N AND ARPTS S WERE STILL VFR. THIS, TOO, MAY HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT, BUT I KNEW I HAD A WAY TO GO, JUST DID NOT KNOW I WOULDBE REQUIRED TO USE MY ALTERNATE PLAN IN SUCH A WAY. MY CONCERN HERE IS THAT EVEN AFTER DECLARING A LOW OR CRITICAL FUEL SIT TO ZDV, I WAS VECTORED AGAIN AWAY FROM DIRECT FLT TO MY DEST, ALMOST WITHOUT REGARD FOR MY REQUESTS. AT THAT POINT IS WHEN I MADE THE DECISION TO CHANGE MY DEST TO EGE. THE CAUSE OF THIS EVENT WAS THE 'UNKNOWN.'

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.