Narrative:

The flight departed den for phl with sufficient fuel to name bwi as alternate. Plus, fuel to hold in excess of 1 hour. Slight deviations were made en route due to WX at cruise altitude 33000'. Flight could have continued to phl clear of clouds with no more than a 5-10 degree deviation to the right and arrived on schedule. However, at a point about bliss intersection, east of ape, we were given a heading 350 degrees direct djb direct jst flight planned route and slowm 71. This new route took us through a line of thunderstorms which caused more deviations, about 15 mins time lost, plus rough ride. About har were cleared to 11000'. On leveling at 11000' the FMA read altitude hold. First officer (was on first line trip) was asked to watch aircraft while I reviewed approach for phl. As I began approach review the aircraft jerked and I looked up to see the first officer had disengaged autoplt and was hand flying aircraft back to 11000' from 10700'. Time to become suspicious?! Further descent to 7000', cleared to hold 10 mi northwest of ard. On reaching holding, first officer's radio (communication) began to act up (loud squeal) when transmitting on #1 communication so he could not talk to ATC, and later on #2 communication. The turbulence became quite bad and we decided to divert to alternate, bwi. ATC wouldn't accept altitude--traffic saturation bwi area. How about iad? Same response. First officer finally contacted company and was told to go to bradley. His radio then went completely bad. Well, where is bradley? I'd never been there, nor had the first officer. The first officer heard the clearance and wrote it down, but could not find intermediate stations on map. So, I asked for heading out of area and station frequency was given heading 010 degrees and station. Began tracking to station and FMA received VOR trk. I then began helping first officer look for windsor locks only to find aircraft turning 40 degrees to left. ATC had been advised of radio problem (captain could only transmit by putting head under flash panel), but didn't help much, even though it should have been apparent we didn't know where we were going and had radio problems. Suggest ATC watch all traffic for such unusual problems as then--even those of us flying light twins can use more help sometimes. Confusion was further enhanced by area charts us 7a8 hi being misaligned to the northeast and southwest instead of n-s.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG COMPLAINS ABOUT REROUTE BECAUSE OF WX. NECESSARY DIVERT TO THIRD ALTERNATE ACCOUNT SATURATION AT GIVEN ALTERNATES.

Narrative: THE FLT DEPARTED DEN FOR PHL WITH SUFFICIENT FUEL TO NAME BWI AS ALTERNATE. PLUS, FUEL TO HOLD IN EXCESS OF 1 HR. SLIGHT DEVIATIONS WERE MADE ENRTE DUE TO WX AT CRUISE ALT 33000'. FLT COULD HAVE CONTINUED TO PHL CLEAR OF CLOUDS WITH NO MORE THAN A 5-10 DEG DEVIATION TO THE RIGHT AND ARRIVED ON SCHEDULE. HOWEVER, AT A POINT ABOUT BLISS INTXN, E OF APE, WE WERE GIVEN A HDG 350 DEGS DIRECT DJB DIRECT JST FLT PLANNED RTE AND SLOWM 71. THIS NEW ROUTE TOOK US THROUGH A LINE OF TSTMS WHICH CAUSED MORE DEVIATIONS, ABOUT 15 MINS TIME LOST, PLUS ROUGH RIDE. ABOUT HAR WERE CLRED TO 11000'. ON LEVELING AT 11000' THE FMA READ ALT HOLD. F/O (WAS ON FIRST LINE TRIP) WAS ASKED TO WATCH ACFT WHILE I REVIEWED APCH FOR PHL. AS I BEGAN APCH REVIEW THE ACFT JERKED AND I LOOKED UP TO SEE THE F/O HAD DISENGAGED AUTOPLT AND WAS HAND FLYING ACFT BACK TO 11000' FROM 10700'. TIME TO BECOME SUSPICIOUS?! FURTHER DSCNT TO 7000', CLRED TO HOLD 10 MI NW OF ARD. ON REACHING HOLDING, F/O'S RADIO (COM) BEGAN TO ACT UP (LOUD SQUEAL) WHEN XMITTING ON #1 COM SO HE COULD NOT TALK TO ATC, AND LATER ON #2 COM. THE TURB BECAME QUITE BAD AND WE DECIDED TO DIVERT TO ALTERNATE, BWI. ATC WOULDN'T ACCEPT ALT--TFC SATURATION BWI AREA. HOW ABOUT IAD? SAME RESPONSE. F/O FINALLY CONTACTED COMPANY AND WAS TOLD TO GO TO BRADLEY. HIS RADIO THEN WENT COMPLETELY BAD. WELL, WHERE IS BRADLEY? I'D NEVER BEEN THERE, NOR HAD THE F/O. THE F/O HEARD THE CLRNC AND WROTE IT DOWN, BUT COULD NOT FIND INTERMEDIATE STATIONS ON MAP. SO, I ASKED FOR HDG OUT OF AREA AND STATION FREQ WAS GIVEN HDG 010 DEGS AND STATION. BEGAN TRACKING TO STATION AND FMA RECEIVED VOR TRK. I THEN BEGAN HELPING F/O LOOK FOR WINDSOR LOCKS ONLY TO FIND ACFT TURNING 40 DEGS TO LEFT. ATC HAD BEEN ADVISED OF RADIO PROB (CAPT COULD ONLY XMIT BY PUTTING HEAD UNDER FLASH PANEL), BUT DIDN'T HELP MUCH, EVEN THOUGH IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN APPARENT WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE WE WERE GOING AND HAD RADIO PROBS. SUGGEST ATC WATCH ALL TFC FOR SUCH UNUSUAL PROBS AS THEN--EVEN THOSE OF US FLYING LIGHT TWINS CAN USE MORE HELP SOMETIMES. CONFUSION WAS FURTHER ENHANCED BY AREA CHARTS US 7A8 HI BEING MISALIGNED TO THE NE AND SW INSTEAD OF N-S.

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