 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Air carrier pilot reported the need to deviate for weather while ATC was too busy to initially respond.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1592708 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201811 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | HOU.Airport |
| State Reference | TX |
| Environment | |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Climb |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 453 Flight Crew Type 10700 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | ATC Issue All Types Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Track / Heading All Types Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence |
Narrative:
Houston center was busy handling traffic holding for sat and aus; and was consequently slow to take a handoff from departure. They then held us low and on a vector towards thunderstorms. After we asked; unsuccessfully; several times for a climb and/or a turn to avoid the weather; I came on the radio and advised center that we needed to deviate now and asked if they preferred us to go left or right. They directed us to deviate left. I did not have to invoke my emergency authority as a captain to deviate from our clearance; but this is as close as I've come. It seemed to me that they were snowed under by organizing all the holds and allowed that task to interfere with keeping traffic clear of thunderstorms. Having to work multiple frequencies and handling extra traffic puts a burden on understaffed controllers in the best of conditions; I feel that in this case the extra task loading caused by deteriorating weather interfered with their ability to prioritize those tasks.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Air carrier pilot reported the need to deviate for weather while ATC was too busy to initially respond.
Narrative: Houston Center was busy handling traffic holding for SAT and AUS; and was consequently slow to take a handoff from Departure. They then held us low and on a vector towards thunderstorms. After we asked; unsuccessfully; several times for a climb and/or a turn to avoid the weather; I came on the radio and advised Center that we needed to deviate now and asked if they preferred us to go left or right. They directed us to deviate left. I did not have to invoke my emergency authority as a Captain to deviate from our clearance; but this is as close as I've come. It seemed to me that they were snowed under by organizing all the holds and allowed that task to interfere with keeping traffic clear of thunderstorms. Having to work multiple frequencies and handling extra traffic puts a burden on understaffed Controllers in the best of conditions; I feel that in this case the extra task loading caused by deteriorating weather interfered with their ability to prioritize those tasks.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.