ACR X NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC DUE TO SEVERE TURB HAIL DECLARED EMER MADE 180 DEG TURN FOR WX AVOIDANCE.

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WE APCHED ACTON VOR ON OUR APCH INTO DFW AT FL220 ASSIGNED 280 KIAS. WE WERE PAINTING A LINE OF TSTMS ON OUR RADAR. THE LINE RAN FROM THE SW TO THE NE. THERE WAS A VERY LARGE STORM ON THE SW END OF THE LINE; AND THE STORMS BECAME LIGHTER TO THE NE. IT APPEARED THAT A SHORT DEV TO THE N WOULD LEAVE US WELL CLR OF WX. OTHER ACFT HAD BEEN CLRED THAT DIRECTION; AND WE NOTIFIED ZFW THAT WE WOULD LIKE A DEV TO THE N TO AVOID THE STORMS AHEAD. FT WORTH ADVISED THAT WE WOULD GET A HDG ON THE NEXT FREQ. WE WERE ABOUT 30 MI FROM THE STORMS WHEN WE CHANGED FREQ TO DFW APCH CTL. WE HEARD ANOTHER ACFT RPT SEVERE TURB. SOMEONE ASKED APCH TO GIVE THE POS OF THAT ACFT. THE REPLY BY A BUSY CTLR WAS 'YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE.' WE ASKED FOR A DEV TO THE N BUT WERE NOT GIVEN PERMISSION. SOON AFTERWARD; WE REQUESTED AN IMMEDIATE DEV N. WE WERE ON A DIRECT HDG TOWARD A LARGE TSTM AND THE LARGEST ONE WAS NOW A SHORT DISTANCE TO THE S. WE WERE TOLD THAT WE COULD NOT DEVIATE TO THE N BUT COULD GO S. THIS LEFT US IN A BOX. WE STARTED AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO THE S; BUT BY THIS TIME; WE WERE VERY CLOSE AND WERE NOT ABLE TO MISS THE WX COMPLETELY. WE CAUGHT THE EDGE OF THE STORMS AND EXPERIENCED SEVERE TURB AND HAIL FOR A SHORT TIME. THE FREQ WAS VERY BUSY AND WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT THE CTLR. SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE PERMISSION TO TURN ANY DIRECTION EXCEPT S; WE SQUAWKED 7700 AND DECLARED AN EMER AS WE CONTINUED THE 180 DEG TURN TO THE W. AFTER CONTACT WAS AGAIN ESTABLISHED; WE WERE GIVEN PERMISSION TO DEVIATE AROUND THE WX TO THE S. AFTER WE CLRED THE STORMS ON THE W SIDE; WE PROCEEDED ABOUT 35 MI S OF ACTON; FOUND A LARGE OPENING; WENT AROUND THE S SIDE; AND CONTINUED OVER ACTON FOR AN UNEVENTFUL APCH TO DFW. THE ENTIRE EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE CTLRS HAD MADE SOME DECISION ON WHERE TO SEND US EARLIER. WE MADE SEVERAL REQUESTS FOR DEVS; AND FROM A POINT 30 MI FROM THE STORMS; WE COULD HAVE GONE ALMOST ANYWHERE. AS IT WAS; THEY LEFT US WITH NO OPTIONS EXCEPT TO FLY THROUGH OR DANGEROUSLY NEAR THE WX.