ACR ON A300 AIRWAY NEAR CHAMP INTXN IS UNABLE TO GET CLRNC TO DEV LINE OF TSTMS. ELECTS TO DEV W PRIOR TO CLRNC. ADVISED TO SQUAWK EMER AND SHORT TIME LATER ADVISED TO SQUAWK NORMAL AND DEV W OF COURSE. COMMERCIAL RADIO WAS RELAYING TO CENTER. REMAINED VMC AT ALL TIMES AND NO TFC ON TCASII. DEV 60 MI W OF TRACK.

Date: 1996-09 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

ACR ON A300 AIRWAY NEAR CHAMP INTXN IS UNABLE TO GET CLRNC TO DEV LINE OF TSTMS. ELECTS TO DEV W PRIOR TO CLRNC. ADVISED TO SQUAWK EMER AND SHORT TIME LATER ADVISED TO SQUAWK NORMAL AND DEV W OF COURSE. COMMERCIAL RADIO WAS RELAYING TO CENTER. REMAINED VMC AT ALL TIMES AND NO TFC ON TCASII. DEV 60 MI W OF TRACK.

Narrative

SBOUND ON AIRWAY A300; JFK-CCS AT FL330. ABOUT 30 MI PRIOR TO CHAMP WE SIGHTED A LINE OF WX ACROSS THE AIRWAY ABOUT 100 MI AHEAD. IT LOOKED LIKE WE WOULD TOP IT; BUT REQUESTED FL370 AS OUR CLRNC OVER IT BECAME DOUBTFUL. CLB CLRNC WAS DENIED DUE TO TFC. BY 50 MI S OF CHAMP IT WAS CLR WE WOULD NOT TOP THE WX WHICH WAS A SOLID LINE AND VERY ACTIVE. I REQUESTED CLRNC TO DEV FROM NY RADIO BUT TO AVOID ENTERING THE WX IT WAS NECESSARY TO TURN TO PARALLEL THE LINE (245 DEGS). WE WERE VMC AND REMAINED VMC. NO TCASII TARGETS INDICATED. WE INFORMED NY RADIO OF THE TURN AND THEY RELAYED TO ZNY WHICH TOLD US TO SQUAWK EMER; THEN GAVE US CLRNC TO DEV W WITH A NORMAL SQUAWK. WE FOUND A WAY THROUGH THE LINE ABOUT 60 MI W OF THE AIRWAY AND WORKED OUR WAY BACK TO FLT PLANNED RTE. IF I HAD ALLOWED MORE TIME FOR THE DELAYS WHICH OCCUR WITH HF RADIO AND RELAYED CLRNCS; WE WOULD HAVE HAD CLRNC TO DEV PRIOR TO THE POINT AT WHICH I HAD NO CHOICE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 347449: THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT FAST MOVING SITS IN A NON RADAR ATC ENVIRONMENT IN A RELATIVE HIGH DENSITY ATC ENVIRONMENT DOES NOT PROMOTE SAFE OPS. I HAVE FLOWN INTL FOR OVER 25 YRS; AND HAVE NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY WE DO NOT TALK DIRECTLY TO NY OR OAKLAND OCEANIC.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.