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A320 PIC expresses emergency command authority/authorized to avoid multiple attempts by pct to direct flight through thunderstorm activity.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 591852 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200308 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : bwi.airport |
| State Reference | MD |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 7000 msl bound upper : 17000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Weather Elements | Thunderstorm |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : pct.tracon tower : frg.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | A320 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | other |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude |
| Route In Use | departure : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| ASRS Report | 591852 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | inflight encounter : weather non adherence : clearance non adherence : published procedure other spatial deviation |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment : tcas other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance flight crew : exited adverse environment flight crew : took evasive action flight crew : declared emergency |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Environmental Factor ATC Human Performance Weather Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Intra Facility Coordination Failure |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : pct.tracon |
Narrative:
Use of captain's emergency authority/authorized, deviation from assigned heading due to significant WX and difficulties with ATC. A significant system was impacting the wbound departures from bwi. Reroutes and WX deviations abound. Flight plan should have taken us over aml. Aml would have been sufficient to clear southern tip of a thunderstorm that was providing significant returns to the aircraft radar. A climb clearance was issued to 17000 ft, expedite through 11000 ft, with a vector into the most significant area of WX. Offers of, and a willingness to accept a different altitude or speed to obtain a more southerly heading (towards aml) were not considered. The controller attempted to force the crew to accept this very unacceptable vector. Providing absolute limits to the extent that we could maintain the heading before requiring a turn were met with further pilot pushing attempts. Upon reaching the absolute limits, in accordance with company fom guidelines, the crew tried to secure clearance towards aml to no avail. Captain's emergency authority/authorized was exercised with a turn towards aml. ATC was notified and (via TCASII) no loss of separation occurred. (The nearest aircraft was at 10 O'clock position, 5 mi and 2000 ft above). It should be noted that the controller followed this use of captain's emergency authority/authorized, with a vector all the way back to bwi followed with another minor attempt to drive us right back through the same area of convective activity. The crew made every reasonable attempt to assist the controller's needs, while maintaining required distances from the convective activity, even in the face of unnecessary comments from said controller.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A320 PIC EXPRESSES EMER COMMAND AUTH TO AVOID MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS BY PCT TO DIRECT FLT THROUGH TSTM ACTIVITY.
Narrative: USE OF CAPT'S EMER AUTH, DEV FROM ASSIGNED HEADING DUE TO SIGNIFICANT WX AND DIFFICULTIES WITH ATC. A SIGNIFICANT SYS WAS IMPACTING THE WBOUND DEPS FROM BWI. REROUTES AND WX DEVS ABOUND. FLT PLAN SHOULD HAVE TAKEN US OVER AML. AML WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO CLR SOUTHERN TIP OF A TSTM THAT WAS PROVIDING SIGNIFICANT RETURNS TO THE ACFT RADAR. A CLB CLRNC WAS ISSUED TO 17000 FT, EXPEDITE THROUGH 11000 FT, WITH A VECTOR INTO THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AREA OF WX. OFFERS OF, AND A WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT A DIFFERENT ALT OR SPD TO OBTAIN A MORE SOUTHERLY HEADING (TOWARDS AML) WERE NOT CONSIDERED. THE CTLR ATTEMPTED TO FORCE THE CREW TO ACCEPT THIS VERY UNACCEPTABLE VECTOR. PROVIDING ABSOLUTE LIMITS TO THE EXTENT THAT WE COULD MAINTAIN THE HEADING BEFORE REQUIRING A TURN WERE MET WITH FURTHER PLT PUSHING ATTEMPTS. UPON REACHING THE ABSOLUTE LIMITS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY FOM GUIDELINES, THE CREW TRIED TO SECURE CLRNC TOWARDS AML TO NO AVAIL. CAPT'S EMER AUTH WAS EXERCISED WITH A TURN TOWARDS AML. ATC WAS NOTIFIED AND (VIA TCASII) NO LOSS OF SEPARATION OCCURRED. (THE NEAREST ACFT WAS AT 10 O'CLOCK POS, 5 MI AND 2000 FT ABOVE). IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE CTLR FOLLOWED THIS USE OF CAPT'S EMER AUTH, WITH A VECTOR ALL THE WAY BACK TO BWI FOLLOWED WITH ANOTHER MINOR ATTEMPT TO DRIVE US RIGHT BACK THROUGH THE SAME AREA OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. THE CREW MADE EVERY REASONABLE ATTEMPT TO ASSIST THE CTLR'S NEEDS, WHILE MAINTAINING REQUIRED DISTANCES FROM THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY, EVEN IN THE FACE OF UNNECESSARY COMMENTS FROM SAID CTLR.
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.