Narrative:

Flight was north via duluth, then green bay, wi, then directly towards madison. This route was to avoid known convective activity throughout the area. Turning south towards madison, it appeared that the area east and south of the airport was the best way in. As we neared the airport and started avoiding the most concentrated cells, it became clear that we might not be able to make an approach to runway 36 because cells were starting to build just west of the airport. Approach control was basically letting us maneuver as necessary to avoid the thunderstorms. As we got just northeast of the airport, we determined we could not make a safe approach using runway 36 and told approach that we were showing an alley between thunderstorm cells that we could fly through, and then hold, or take delaying vectors south of the field until the WX cleared. The approach controller said that sounded fine. We continued to the southeast for another 10 mi then turned directly south. As we got 10-15 mi ese of msn, the controller said we would be going into milwaukee and rockford approach airspace and would have to turn to a 270 degree heading to stay out of their airspace. We replied that we could not do so without flying directly into a thunderstorm. He then asked if we were declaring an emergency, and we said 'not at this time.' he then said we must turn to 270 degrees and we started a slow turn, staying out of a thunderstorm to our west. After we completed the turn, the controller advised us we had flown into both milwaukee and rockford airspace and that he would be filing a pilot deviation on us. At that time another controller came on and vectored us west and north, as the thunderstorms had passed, and we made an uneventful landing using runway 18 in msn. I feel that there were 3 times that human factors contributed to this occurrence. First, in the planning stage by dispatch, this flight would have and I believe should have been delayed to avoid the WX situation totally. Second, on our part, after getting within 40 NM of the airport we should have been more aggressive in postponing an attempted approach until the WX cleared or a diversion became necessary. Third, the approach controller did not advise us about the airspace conflict until we had committed to deviating to the east of the airport. By the time we were told to turn, or else, was way too late and we had nowhere to go but through a thunderstorm. Incidentally, there were no conflicts with any other aircraft throughout the night. As for the second cause, which was ours, I can say this -- combining the feeling to 'always get the people there' with the end of a long day caused us to push the flight onward when we needed to take a step backward and re-evaluate what was in front of us. While we did not fly through a thunderstorm, we ended up in the position of having to chose between 2 alternatives -- neither one of which was a good one. Supplemental information from acn 473492: I called the control facility discussing the events. He felt a pilot deviation report needed to be filed after his discussion with me. My wife received a phone call from the msn control center. He asked my wife to give me a message that a pilot deviation report will not be filed because of the major WX that they received. He was more than happy to explain to me how I could do a better job the next time. I could have declared an emergency. I discussed this issue with my interest of learning what I might have done to assist myself and the controller, and then advising when the emergency situation has terminated when clear of the WX.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 FLC CHALLENGED BY MSN CTLR BECAUSE OF WX DEVS.

Narrative: FLT WAS N VIA DULUTH, THEN GREEN BAY, WI, THEN DIRECTLY TOWARDS MADISON. THIS RTE WAS TO AVOID KNOWN CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE AREA. TURNING S TOWARDS MADISON, IT APPEARED THAT THE AREA E AND S OF THE ARPT WAS THE BEST WAY IN. AS WE NEARED THE ARPT AND STARTED AVOIDING THE MOST CONCENTRATED CELLS, IT BECAME CLR THAT WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE AN APCH TO RWY 36 BECAUSE CELLS WERE STARTING TO BUILD JUST W OF THE ARPT. APCH CTL WAS BASICALLY LETTING US MANEUVER AS NECESSARY TO AVOID THE TSTMS. AS WE GOT JUST NE OF THE ARPT, WE DETERMINED WE COULD NOT MAKE A SAFE APCH USING RWY 36 AND TOLD APCH THAT WE WERE SHOWING AN ALLEY BTWN TSTM CELLS THAT WE COULD FLY THROUGH, AND THEN HOLD, OR TAKE DELAYING VECTORS S OF THE FIELD UNTIL THE WX CLRED. THE APCH CTLR SAID THAT SOUNDED FINE. WE CONTINUED TO THE SE FOR ANOTHER 10 MI THEN TURNED DIRECTLY S. AS WE GOT 10-15 MI ESE OF MSN, THE CTLR SAID WE WOULD BE GOING INTO MILWAUKEE AND ROCKFORD APCH AIRSPACE AND WOULD HAVE TO TURN TO A 270 DEG HDG TO STAY OUT OF THEIR AIRSPACE. WE REPLIED THAT WE COULD NOT DO SO WITHOUT FLYING DIRECTLY INTO A TSTM. HE THEN ASKED IF WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER, AND WE SAID 'NOT AT THIS TIME.' HE THEN SAID WE MUST TURN TO 270 DEGS AND WE STARTED A SLOW TURN, STAYING OUT OF A TSTM TO OUR W. AFTER WE COMPLETED THE TURN, THE CTLR ADVISED US WE HAD FLOWN INTO BOTH MILWAUKEE AND ROCKFORD AIRSPACE AND THAT HE WOULD BE FILING A PLTDEV ON US. AT THAT TIME ANOTHER CTLR CAME ON AND VECTORED US W AND N, AS THE TSTMS HAD PASSED, AND WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG USING RWY 18 IN MSN. I FEEL THAT THERE WERE 3 TIMES THAT HUMAN FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS OCCURRENCE. FIRST, IN THE PLANNING STAGE BY DISPATCH, THIS FLT WOULD HAVE AND I BELIEVE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DELAYED TO AVOID THE WX SIT TOTALLY. SECOND, ON OUR PART, AFTER GETTING WITHIN 40 NM OF THE ARPT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE IN POSTPONING AN ATTEMPTED APCH UNTIL THE WX CLRED OR A DIVERSION BECAME NECESSARY. THIRD, THE APCH CTLR DID NOT ADVISE US ABOUT THE AIRSPACE CONFLICT UNTIL WE HAD COMMITTED TO DEVIATING TO THE E OF THE ARPT. BY THE TIME WE WERE TOLD TO TURN, OR ELSE, WAS WAY TOO LATE AND WE HAD NOWHERE TO GO BUT THROUGH A TSTM. INCIDENTALLY, THERE WERE NO CONFLICTS WITH ANY OTHER ACFT THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. AS FOR THE SECOND CAUSE, WHICH WAS OURS, I CAN SAY THIS -- COMBINING THE FEELING TO 'ALWAYS GET THE PEOPLE THERE' WITH THE END OF A LONG DAY CAUSED US TO PUSH THE FLT ONWARD WHEN WE NEEDED TO TAKE A STEP BACKWARD AND RE-EVALUATE WHAT WAS IN FRONT OF US. WHILE WE DID NOT FLY THROUGH A TSTM, WE ENDED UP IN THE POS OF HAVING TO CHOSE BTWN 2 ALTERNATIVES -- NEITHER ONE OF WHICH WAS A GOOD ONE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 473492: I CALLED THE CTL FACILITY DISCUSSING THE EVENTS. HE FELT A PLTDEV RPT NEEDED TO BE FILED AFTER HIS DISCUSSION WITH ME. MY WIFE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE MSN CTL CTR. HE ASKED MY WIFE TO GIVE ME A MESSAGE THAT A PLTDEV RPT WILL NOT BE FILED BECAUSE OF THE MAJOR WX THAT THEY RECEIVED. HE WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO EXPLAIN TO ME HOW I COULD DO A BETTER JOB THE NEXT TIME. I COULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER. I DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE WITH MY INTEREST OF LEARNING WHAT I MIGHT HAVE DONE TO ASSIST MYSELF AND THE CTLR, AND THEN ADVISING WHEN THE EMER SIT HAS TERMINATED WHEN CLR OF THE WX.

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.