Narrative:

We were flying WX reconnaissance for the NASA missile launch in the eastern test range. The launch time was approximately T10 mins when were told to clear the range to the west and continue until we were clear of the banana river. The captain was talking to cape leader and cape weather on the #2 radio and I was talking to ZMA on the #1 radio and flying the airplane. We were handed off to patrick approach at 12000' and a heading of 270 degrees. Patrick told us to turn right to a heading of 360 degrees, I advised that we could not accept a heading of 360 degrees until we were west of the river. She told me to stand by. Her supervisor came on and asked me if we could turn to a 180 degree heading. I advised him that we could not turn north until we were clear of the river. He told me that we were about to enter orl's airspace and we needed to turn to stay clear of it. I told him we could climb or descend as fast as he needed to stay clear of their airspace, but we had to be west of the river before we could turn and said that if it would help, we needed to turn to the south when we did turn. He said to standby, that he was coordinating with orl. I had the airplane slowed to 250 KTS to prevent entering the airspace until he could get back to us. He came back on and asked if we could cancel IFR. We said no (due to WX in the vicinity and our inability to maintain VFR). The reason we needed the turn to south was because we had to land at mlb for fuel because cape leader was not sure if the launch was going to go or if they were going to delay it for the WX. The supervisor came back on and told us to turn to a heading of 180 degrees and by this time we were clear of the test range, so we did and thanked him. We were handed off to ZMA. We told them we were going to land at mlb for fuel. They turned us over to patrick and then vectored into mlb. The final controller told us to contact a phone number when we landed. When we did the patrick supervisor told us that we were going to be violated by himself and orl for not accepting a clearance. We explained our situation and he was less than sympathetic. We called NASA to see if they could straighten out the mess and they said they would try to make sure that the controllers understood the reason why we had to clear the area. The whole ordeal could have been prevented if orl-patrick-NASA had better communications organized during launches with the aircraft that is doing the WX observations. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter was surprised by the reaction from cof RAPCON when he told the controller that he had to clear the area by continuing wbound. The cof supervisor coordination with mco but apparently was told to keep the light transport out of mco's airspace. At any rate, reporter was caught between ATC jurisdictions and orders from his ground controller agency to clear the area as soon as possible. After the fact, reporter's company contacted all ATC facs involved and everything is now resolved and everyone has a better understanding of everyone else's problems. FAA has ruled that this was nothing but a misunderstanding and no further action is required.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CPR LTT ON WX RECONNASSAINCE FLT ADVISED ATC THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO TAKE CTLRS VECTORS BECAUSE OF NECESSITY TO CLEAR AN AREA OF POTENTIAL DANGER.

Narrative: WE WERE FLYING WX RECONNAISSANCE FOR THE NASA MISSILE LAUNCH IN THE EASTERN TEST RANGE. THE LAUNCH TIME WAS APPROX T10 MINS WHEN WERE TOLD TO CLR THE RANGE TO THE W AND CONTINUE UNTIL WE WERE CLR OF THE BANANA RIVER. THE CAPT WAS TALKING TO CAPE LEADER AND CAPE WEATHER ON THE #2 RADIO AND I WAS TALKING TO ZMA ON THE #1 RADIO AND FLYING THE AIRPLANE. WE WERE HANDED OFF TO PATRICK APCH AT 12000' AND A HDG OF 270 DEGS. PATRICK TOLD US TO TURN RIGHT TO A HDG OF 360 DEGS, I ADVISED THAT WE COULD NOT ACCEPT A HDG OF 360 DEGS UNTIL WE WERE W OF THE RIVER. SHE TOLD ME TO STAND BY. HER SUPVR CAME ON AND ASKED ME IF WE COULD TURN TO A 180 DEG HDG. I ADVISED HIM THAT WE COULD NOT TURN N UNTIL WE WERE CLR OF THE RIVER. HE TOLD ME THAT WE WERE ABOUT TO ENTER ORL'S AIRSPACE AND WE NEEDED TO TURN TO STAY CLR OF IT. I TOLD HIM WE COULD CLB OR DSND AS FAST AS HE NEEDED TO STAY CLR OF THEIR AIRSPACE, BUT WE HAD TO BE W OF THE RIVER BEFORE WE COULD TURN AND SAID THAT IF IT WOULD HELP, WE NEEDED TO TURN TO THE S WHEN WE DID TURN. HE SAID TO STANDBY, THAT HE WAS COORDINATING WITH ORL. I HAD THE AIRPLANE SLOWED TO 250 KTS TO PREVENT ENTERING THE AIRSPACE UNTIL HE COULD GET BACK TO US. HE CAME BACK ON AND ASKED IF WE COULD CANCEL IFR. WE SAID NO (DUE TO WX IN THE VICINITY AND OUR INABILITY TO MAINTAIN VFR). THE REASON WE NEEDED THE TURN TO S WAS BECAUSE WE HAD TO LAND AT MLB FOR FUEL BECAUSE CAPE LEADER WAS NOT SURE IF THE LAUNCH WAS GOING TO GO OR IF THEY WERE GOING TO DELAY IT FOR THE WX. THE SUPVR CAME BACK ON AND TOLD US TO TURN TO A HDG OF 180 DEGS AND BY THIS TIME WE WERE CLR OF THE TEST RANGE, SO WE DID AND THANKED HIM. WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ZMA. WE TOLD THEM WE WERE GOING TO LAND AT MLB FOR FUEL. THEY TURNED US OVER TO PATRICK AND THEN VECTORED INTO MLB. THE FINAL CTLR TOLD US TO CONTACT A PHONE NUMBER WHEN WE LANDED. WHEN WE DID THE PATRICK SUPVR TOLD US THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE VIOLATED BY HIMSELF AND ORL FOR NOT ACCEPTING A CLRNC. WE EXPLAINED OUR SITUATION AND HE WAS LESS THAN SYMPATHETIC. WE CALLED NASA TO SEE IF THEY COULD STRAIGHTEN OUT THE MESS AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CTLRS UNDERSTOOD THE REASON WHY WE HAD TO CLR THE AREA. THE WHOLE ORDEAL COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF ORL-PATRICK-NASA HAD BETTER COMS ORGANIZED DURING LAUNCHES WITH THE ACFT THAT IS DOING THE WX OBSERVATIONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR WAS SURPRISED BY THE REACTION FROM COF RAPCON WHEN HE TOLD THE CTLR THAT HE HAD TO CLR THE AREA BY CONTINUING WBOUND. THE COF SUPVR COORD WITH MCO BUT APPARENTLY WAS TOLD TO KEEP THE LTT OUT OF MCO'S AIRSPACE. AT ANY RATE, RPTR WAS CAUGHT BTWN ATC JURISDICTIONS AND ORDERS FROM HIS GND CTLR AGENCY TO CLR THE AREA ASAP. AFTER THE FACT, RPTR'S COMPANY CONTACTED ALL ATC FACS INVOLVED AND EVERYTHING IS NOW RESOLVED AND EVERYONE HAS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF EVERYONE ELSE'S PROBS. FAA HAS RULED THAT THIS WAS NOTHING BUT A MISUNDERSTANDING AND NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUIRED.

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.