Narrative:

On departure, we were on a heading direct into twring cumulonimbus. Asked for vectors either direction. Controller told us to go right or north, so I turned to a 050 degree heading. That was too many degrees for him, so he gave us a right turn. I told him I was unable to accept the heading he wanted. He told me that there were no storms out there and that I needed to comply. I found that a little funny since I was looking at a black wall of clouds off the nose. He then said he could only give me a 180 degree heading for a hold. So I turned to a 180 degree heading. He then asked me to tell him when I could take a 360 degree heading. I explained that would be difficult for me to do because 360 degrees was off my tail and I could not see that direction. Finally got us turned around and once again had to deviate around the same system. Supplemental information from acn 624668: on initial climb out, skipper flying, we were being vectored northwest on a line parallel to the winco transition. We had been making small deviations due to the large number of cumulonimbus in the area. Departure cleared us to go direct to winco and then as filed. There was a large cell of WX just south of winco making it impossible to go direct. While I was trying to negotiate a detour with departure (the radios were busy with frequency traffic, too), the skipper turns from a 310 degree heading to approximately 060 degree heading. The controller notices we have turned further than previously requested and says that won't work. He got upset and told us to make a left turn to 180 degrees and he might have to make us hold. We made an immediate turn to 180 degrees (we were still in the clear). The controller left us on the 180 degree heading for a while and worked other traffic. The controller then asked us what heading we wanted, the skipper replied we can see real well to the south but we cannot see anything behind us so we don't know. The controller turned us back to the north and handed us off (I think he didn't want to talk to us anymore). The next controller worked us through the gap we had originally wanted to go through. The rest of the departure and flight were uneventful. I left out some of the conversation between the captain and the controller during our left turn to 180 degrees. They both made some comments and I think that did not help things much. Bottom line, the controller was trying to make us go into a line of WX (he said he didn't see anything on radar), and there was a black wall of cloud and cumulonimbus we didn't want to fly through. Sometimes the radios are so busy that, by the time you can get a spot to talk, the whole picture has changed and what you needed a min ago won't work anymore.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 FLT CREW RPTED THAT ZMA COULD NOT VECTOR THE FLT AROUND CUMULONIMBUS BUILDUPS AFTER DEPARTING MIA, BUT LATER A SECOND ZMA CTLR ASSISTED THEM THROUGH GAPS IN THE WX.

Narrative: ON DEP, WE WERE ON A HDG DIRECT INTO TWRING CUMULONIMBUS. ASKED FOR VECTORS EITHER DIRECTION. CTLR TOLD US TO GO R OR N, SO I TURNED TO A 050 DEG HDG. THAT WAS TOO MANY DEGS FOR HIM, SO HE GAVE US A R TURN. I TOLD HIM I WAS UNABLE TO ACCEPT THE HDG HE WANTED. HE TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE NO STORMS OUT THERE AND THAT I NEEDED TO COMPLY. I FOUND THAT A LITTLE FUNNY SINCE I WAS LOOKING AT A BLACK WALL OF CLOUDS OFF THE NOSE. HE THEN SAID HE COULD ONLY GIVE ME A 180 DEG HDG FOR A HOLD. SO I TURNED TO A 180 DEG HDG. HE THEN ASKED ME TO TELL HIM WHEN I COULD TAKE A 360 DEG HDG. I EXPLAINED THAT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DO BECAUSE 360 DEGS WAS OFF MY TAIL AND I COULD NOT SEE THAT DIRECTION. FINALLY GOT US TURNED AROUND AND ONCE AGAIN HAD TO DEVIATE AROUND THE SAME SYS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 624668: ON INITIAL CLBOUT, SKIPPER FLYING, WE WERE BEING VECTORED NW ON A LINE PARALLEL TO THE WINCO TRANSITION. WE HAD BEEN MAKING SMALL DEVS DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF CUMULONIMBUS IN THE AREA. DEP CLRED US TO GO DIRECT TO WINCO AND THEN AS FILED. THERE WAS A LARGE CELL OF WX JUST S OF WINCO MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GO DIRECT. WHILE I WAS TRYING TO NEGOTIATE A DETOUR WITH DEP (THE RADIOS WERE BUSY WITH FREQ TFC, TOO), THE SKIPPER TURNS FROM A 310 DEG HDG TO APPROX 060 DEG HDG. THE CTLR NOTICES WE HAVE TURNED FURTHER THAN PREVIOUSLY REQUESTED AND SAYS THAT WON'T WORK. HE GOT UPSET AND TOLD US TO MAKE A L TURN TO 180 DEGS AND HE MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE US HOLD. WE MADE AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO 180 DEGS (WE WERE STILL IN THE CLR). THE CTLR LEFT US ON THE 180 DEG HDG FOR A WHILE AND WORKED OTHER TFC. THE CTLR THEN ASKED US WHAT HDG WE WANTED, THE SKIPPER REPLIED WE CAN SEE REAL WELL TO THE S BUT WE CANNOT SEE ANYTHING BEHIND US SO WE DON'T KNOW. THE CTLR TURNED US BACK TO THE N AND HANDED US OFF (I THINK HE DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO US ANYMORE). THE NEXT CTLR WORKED US THROUGH THE GAP WE HAD ORIGINALLY WANTED TO GO THROUGH. THE REST OF THE DEP AND FLT WERE UNEVENTFUL. I LEFT OUT SOME OF THE CONVERSATION BTWN THE CAPT AND THE CTLR DURING OUR L TURN TO 180 DEGS. THEY BOTH MADE SOME COMMENTS AND I THINK THAT DID NOT HELP THINGS MUCH. BOTTOM LINE, THE CTLR WAS TRYING TO MAKE US GO INTO A LINE OF WX (HE SAID HE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING ON RADAR), AND THERE WAS A BLACK WALL OF CLOUD AND CUMULONIMBUS WE DIDN'T WANT TO FLY THROUGH. SOMETIMES THE RADIOS ARE SO BUSY THAT, BY THE TIME YOU CAN GET A SPOT TO TALK, THE WHOLE PICTURE HAS CHANGED AND WHAT YOU NEEDED A MIN AGO WON'T WORK ANYMORE.

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.