Narrative:

After a 5 1/2 hour flight from bangkok to narita (I was the captain and the first officer was flying this leg); we were about ready for descent from FL380 when we were told to hold at a point called 'binan' (I think that was the name; still haven't been able to find it on any charts or plates). Tokyo control had to spell it phonetically; it was in our FMS database; so we started holding at FL330 and descended in holding when told to do so. Our efc was about 30 mins from the time we started holding. We were slightly ahead on our fuel plan and expected to be able to hold for that long and then proceed with the arrival into nrt. We were not told the reason for holding and did not expect any problem getting into nrt since ATC gave no indication of a problem and the ATIS looked good. We would; however; be cutting into our alternate fuel in order to do this holding. Approaching our efc; we were cleared to hold at another point on our planned arrival called 'venus' with an efc 40 mins later. I responded that we were 'unable' to accept that clearance because we were now minimum fuel and that we needed vectors to commence the approach. I estimated our fuel requirements and told them we must land by a certain time. ATC complied with our request and we would have landed only about 5 mins after the time I had given them; and with the amount of fuel. I had wanted to land with. ATC had not informed us 1) that we would be expected to hold again after the initial holding; 2) the reasons for holding (we assumed it was just for spacing into nrt); and 3) that thunderstorms were affecting operations at the airport. We did hear another aircraft ask why they were holding and they were told that it was for arrs backing up. They failed to mention that they were backing up for thunderstorms. There were buildups in the area and we could see them and paint them on WX radar; but they were relatively widely scattered and weren't a problem where we were. ATC was also not issuing efc times initially until we all started demanding them. If we had known that thunderstorms and windshear were impacting arrs and departures; we would have gone to the alternate immediately. So the dangerous situation here is that ATC was leading everyone down a path where they would be low on fuel and forced to land at an airport with marginal WX. So we were cleared for the approach and encountered rain and gusty wind conditions on the approach. After being cleared to land and down to about 1200 ft AGL; we were breaking out of the WX and the field was coming into view. The airspeed was fluctuating and we had microburst indications off to the right of the runway. We told tower that we were going around and started to fly the published missed approach. After we had completed the initial turn of the missed approach procedure; we could see that it would take us into a thunder shower; so I selected a heading that would avoid it; and then informed ATC that we were declaring an emergency for fuel; what heading we were flying; that we were climbing to the missed approach altitude (6000 ft); and that we needed to land immediately at the nearest airport. We were already heading in the general direction of hnd; our filed alternate. We were given vectors to final at hnd; flew the approach to runway 34R and landed with only about 30 mins of fuel remaining. After refueling and waiting for the WX to clear (about 4 hours); we flew from hnd to nrt.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B747-400 FLT CREW ENCOUNTERS WX MICROBURST ACTIVITY ON FINAL AT RJAA; EXECUTES GAR; DECLARES EMER AND DIVERTS TO ALTERNATE.

Narrative: AFTER A 5 1/2 HR FLT FROM BANGKOK TO NARITA (I WAS THE CAPT AND THE FO WAS FLYING THIS LEG); WE WERE ABOUT READY FOR DSCNT FROM FL380 WHEN WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD AT A POINT CALLED 'BINAN' (I THINK THAT WAS THE NAME; STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND IT ON ANY CHARTS OR PLATES). TOKYO CTL HAD TO SPELL IT PHONETICALLY; IT WAS IN OUR FMS DATABASE; SO WE STARTED HOLDING AT FL330 AND DSNDED IN HOLDING WHEN TOLD TO DO SO. OUR EFC WAS ABOUT 30 MINS FROM THE TIME WE STARTED HOLDING. WE WERE SLIGHTLY AHEAD ON OUR FUEL PLAN AND EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO HOLD FOR THAT LONG AND THEN PROCEED WITH THE ARR INTO NRT. WE WERE NOT TOLD THE REASON FOR HOLDING AND DID NOT EXPECT ANY PROB GETTING INTO NRT SINCE ATC GAVE NO INDICATION OF A PROB AND THE ATIS LOOKED GOOD. WE WOULD; HOWEVER; BE CUTTING INTO OUR ALTERNATE FUEL IN ORDER TO DO THIS HOLDING. APCHING OUR EFC; WE WERE CLRED TO HOLD AT ANOTHER POINT ON OUR PLANNED ARR CALLED 'VENUS' WITH AN EFC 40 MINS LATER. I RESPONDED THAT WE WERE 'UNABLE' TO ACCEPT THAT CLRNC BECAUSE WE WERE NOW MINIMUM FUEL AND THAT WE NEEDED VECTORS TO COMMENCE THE APCH. I ESTIMATED OUR FUEL REQUIREMENTS AND TOLD THEM WE MUST LAND BY A CERTAIN TIME. ATC COMPLIED WITH OUR REQUEST AND WE WOULD HAVE LANDED ONLY ABOUT 5 MINS AFTER THE TIME I HAD GIVEN THEM; AND WITH THE AMOUNT OF FUEL. I HAD WANTED TO LAND WITH. ATC HAD NOT INFORMED US 1) THAT WE WOULD BE EXPECTED TO HOLD AGAIN AFTER THE INITIAL HOLDING; 2) THE REASONS FOR HOLDING (WE ASSUMED IT WAS JUST FOR SPACING INTO NRT); AND 3) THAT TSTMS WERE AFFECTING OPS AT THE ARPT. WE DID HEAR ANOTHER ACFT ASK WHY THEY WERE HOLDING AND THEY WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS FOR ARRS BACKING UP. THEY FAILED TO MENTION THAT THEY WERE BACKING UP FOR TSTMS. THERE WERE BUILDUPS IN THE AREA AND WE COULD SEE THEM AND PAINT THEM ON WX RADAR; BUT THEY WERE RELATIVELY WIDELY SCATTERED AND WEREN'T A PROB WHERE WE WERE. ATC WAS ALSO NOT ISSUING EFC TIMES INITIALLY UNTIL WE ALL STARTED DEMANDING THEM. IF WE HAD KNOWN THAT TSTMS AND WINDSHEAR WERE IMPACTING ARRS AND DEPS; WE WOULD HAVE GONE TO THE ALTERNATE IMMEDIATELY. SO THE DANGEROUS SIT HERE IS THAT ATC WAS LEADING EVERYONE DOWN A PATH WHERE THEY WOULD BE LOW ON FUEL AND FORCED TO LAND AT AN ARPT WITH MARGINAL WX. SO WE WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH AND ENCOUNTERED RAIN AND GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS ON THE APCH. AFTER BEING CLRED TO LAND AND DOWN TO ABOUT 1200 FT AGL; WE WERE BREAKING OUT OF THE WX AND THE FIELD WAS COMING INTO VIEW. THE AIRSPD WAS FLUCTUATING AND WE HAD MICROBURST INDICATIONS OFF TO THE R OF THE RWY. WE TOLD TWR THAT WE WERE GOING AROUND AND STARTED TO FLY THE PUBLISHED MISSED APCH. AFTER WE HAD COMPLETED THE INITIAL TURN OF THE MISSED APCH PROC; WE COULD SEE THAT IT WOULD TAKE US INTO A THUNDER SHOWER; SO I SELECTED A HDG THAT WOULD AVOID IT; AND THEN INFORMED ATC THAT WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER FOR FUEL; WHAT HDG WE WERE FLYING; THAT WE WERE CLBING TO THE MISSED APCH ALT (6000 FT); AND THAT WE NEEDED TO LAND IMMEDIATELY AT THE NEAREST ARPT. WE WERE ALREADY HEADING IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF HND; OUR FILED ALTERNATE. WE WERE GIVEN VECTORS TO FINAL AT HND; FLEW THE APCH TO RWY 34R AND LANDED WITH ONLY ABOUT 30 MINS OF FUEL REMAINING. AFTER REFUELING AND WAITING FOR THE WX TO CLR (ABOUT 4 HRS); WE FLEW FROM HND TO NRT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.