Narrative:

All day there was a line of severe WX moving west to east across florida. The military had most of the warning areas called up and were performing carrier operations offshore. The leading edge of the front was approaching the shoreline with extreme precipitation returns depicted on our nexrad display; the tmu WX radar; and the center WX equipment. In fact; even the local news stations had pre-empted the regular programming to cover the severe WX approaching (which had already spawned tornadoes in the lake city area). The tmu began rerouting mco arrs off the bugz/leese arrs towards omn for the bitho/cworld arrs for WX near ocala. One of the rerouted pilots checked on and said 'you guys need to stop sending people this way; you're putting us into harm's way.' a supervisor was called to the sector; and the pilot repeated this message to him as well. I do not know whether tmu was advised; but I do know aircraft continued coming over omn. The WX offshore had gotten to the point that the military aircraft were unable to return to the ship and they began exiting the warning areas 'minimum fuel' for mcf (macdill AFB). The third group of aircraft we worked out of the warning areas was a flight of 2 S-3's. The radar controller advised the aircraft of the WX and issued clearance to mcf. When the flight was in the vicinity of omn; the lead said something I wasn't able to understand then began a rapid descent. I picked up the landline to coordination the descent with daytona approach; as they were rapidly approaching dab's vertical limits. When I got back to monitoring the radios; I learned that both aircraft had shattered canopies from hail and had regained control at approximately 3000 ft over the daytona speedway. Both aircraft ultimately made it to NAS jax; and to the best of my knowledge made safe lndgs. The fact that these were fighter aircraft and the pilots were wearing helmets; face shields; etc; probably contributed to the survivability of the incident. The part most concerning is that this could have just as easily been a GA aircraft or commercial airliner; since tmu was doing nothing to route aircraft away from this extreme WX. It was just dumb luck and airline scheduling that prevented an airliner full of passenger from encountering this hailstorm. It has long been a point of pride among the decision makers at ZJX that we don't slow down the system just because of a 'little WX.' in fact; our tmu has been recognized nationally several times for their ability to 'keep the metal moving.' this emphasis on on-time arrs regardless of WX is negligent; and will eventually get people hurt or killed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZJX CTLR DESCRIBED A HAIL ENCOUNTER EVENT RESULTING IN FAILED MIL ACFT CANOPIES; REPORTER CITING POOR TMU/SUPVR DECISIONS AS CONTRIBUTORY.

Narrative: ALL DAY THERE WAS A LINE OF SEVERE WX MOVING W TO E ACROSS FLORIDA. THE MIL HAD MOST OF THE WARNING AREAS CALLED UP AND WERE PERFORMING CARRIER OPS OFFSHORE. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FRONT WAS APCHING THE SHORELINE WITH EXTREME PRECIP RETURNS DEPICTED ON OUR NEXRAD DISPLAY; THE TMU WX RADAR; AND THE CTR WX EQUIP. IN FACT; EVEN THE LCL NEWS STATIONS HAD PRE-EMPTED THE REGULAR PROGRAMMING TO COVER THE SEVERE WX APCHING (WHICH HAD ALREADY SPAWNED TORNADOES IN THE LAKE CITY AREA). THE TMU BEGAN REROUTING MCO ARRS OFF THE BUGZ/LEESE ARRS TOWARDS OMN FOR THE BITHO/CWORLD ARRS FOR WX NEAR OCALA. ONE OF THE REROUTED PLTS CHKED ON AND SAID 'YOU GUYS NEED TO STOP SENDING PEOPLE THIS WAY; YOU'RE PUTTING US INTO HARM'S WAY.' A SUPVR WAS CALLED TO THE SECTOR; AND THE PLT REPEATED THIS MESSAGE TO HIM AS WELL. I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER TMU WAS ADVISED; BUT I DO KNOW ACFT CONTINUED COMING OVER OMN. THE WX OFFSHORE HAD GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT THE MIL ACFT WERE UNABLE TO RETURN TO THE SHIP AND THEY BEGAN EXITING THE WARNING AREAS 'MINIMUM FUEL' FOR MCF (MACDILL AFB). THE THIRD GROUP OF ACFT WE WORKED OUT OF THE WARNING AREAS WAS A FLT OF 2 S-3'S. THE RADAR CTLR ADVISED THE ACFT OF THE WX AND ISSUED CLRNC TO MCF. WHEN THE FLT WAS IN THE VICINITY OF OMN; THE LEAD SAID SOMETHING I WASN'T ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THEN BEGAN A RAPID DSCNT. I PICKED UP THE LANDLINE TO COORD THE DSCNT WITH DAYTONA APCH; AS THEY WERE RAPIDLY APCHING DAB'S VERT LIMITS. WHEN I GOT BACK TO MONITORING THE RADIOS; I LEARNED THAT BOTH ACFT HAD SHATTERED CANOPIES FROM HAIL AND HAD REGAINED CTL AT APPROX 3000 FT OVER THE DAYTONA SPEEDWAY. BOTH ACFT ULTIMATELY MADE IT TO NAS JAX; AND TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE MADE SAFE LNDGS. THE FACT THAT THESE WERE FIGHTER ACFT AND THE PLTS WERE WEARING HELMETS; FACE SHIELDS; ETC; PROBABLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE SURVIVABILITY OF THE INCIDENT. THE PART MOST CONCERNING IS THAT THIS COULD HAVE JUST AS EASILY BEEN A GA ACFT OR COMMERCIAL AIRLINER; SINCE TMU WAS DOING NOTHING TO RTE ACFT AWAY FROM THIS EXTREME WX. IT WAS JUST DUMB LUCK AND AIRLINE SCHEDULING THAT PREVENTED AN AIRLINER FULL OF PAX FROM ENCOUNTERING THIS HAILSTORM. IT HAS LONG BEEN A POINT OF PRIDE AMONG THE DECISION MAKERS AT ZJX THAT WE DON'T SLOW DOWN THE SYS JUST BECAUSE OF A 'LITTLE WX.' IN FACT; OUR TMU HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY SEVERAL TIMES FOR THEIR ABILITY TO 'KEEP THE METAL MOVING.' THIS EMPHASIS ON ON-TIME ARRS REGARDLESS OF WX IS NEGLIGENT; AND WILL EVENTUALLY GET PEOPLE HURT OR KILLED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.