IFR MU-2 WITH ZJX WAS REFUSED WX DEVIATION; ATC FAILED TO RESPOND BACK TO REPORTER AFTER COMPLAINT WAS DISCUSSED.
Synopsis
IFR MU-2 WITH ZJX WAS REFUSED WX DEVIATION; ATC FAILED TO RESPOND BACK TO REPORTER AFTER COMPLAINT WAS DISCUSSED.
Narrative
I DEPARTED FMY ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. I FILED FMY-LAL-ATL-DIRECT. I FILED THIS RTE TO KEEP CLR OF WX THAT EXISTED FROM APPROX GAINESVILLE; FL; AND EXTENDED TO THE W FOR OVER 100 MI. DURING MY FLT PLANNING THIS WX WAS FORECAST TO BUILD AND MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD AND SHOWED A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR ACFT ICING AT MY PLANNED FLT LEVEL. MY INITIAL CLRNC WAS CLRED AS FILED. JUST SHORT OF LAL VOR WHILE STILL WITH ZMA; MY CLRNC WAS CHANGED TO LAL-CTY-ATL-DIRECT (MY UNDERSTANDING IS LAL-CTY IS GIVEN TO ALL NBOUND IFR ACFT BY REQUEST FROM ZJX). MY ONBOARD SATELLITE WX AND ONBOARD RADAR SHOWED HVY PRECIP IN THE CTY DIRECTION. ON INITIAL CONTACT WITH ZJX JUST SHORT OF LAL VOR; I REQUESTED SOMETHING OTHER THAN CTY DUE TO ADVERSE WX ALONG THAT RTE. THIS REQUEST WAS DENIED. I ASKED TO DEVIATE E FOR WX. THIS REQUEST WAS DENIED. (SEVERAL OTHER ACFT WERE GIVEN PERMISSION TO DEVIATE FOR WX; NO OTHERS WERE DENIED THAT I HEARD.) ZJX THEN CLRED ME TO NITTS THEN FAGAN (NITTS WAS IN THE SAME NW HDG AS CTY. THE CTLR ALSO TOLD ME THAT NITTS WAS ABOUT 10 MI AWAY WHEN IT WAS 22.1 MI AWAY). I TOLD THE CTLR I WAS UNABLE NITTS DUE TO WX AND NEEDED TO DEVIATE TO THE E. THE CTLR SAID I NEEDED TO CONTINUE NW OR DEVIATE (HIS WORDS) WELL TO THE W. I REPLIED I WAS UNABLE TO DEVIATE W (WELL W WOULD PUT ME WELL OUT OVER THE WATER AND THE ACFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED FOR OVERWATER RTE PLUS THE WX EXTENDED WELL TO THE W). I ALSO ASKED TO CLB AND THIS WAS DENIED. AT THIS POINT I ASKED FOR A PHONE NUMBER TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I WAS BUILDING ICE IN FREEZING RAIN THAT I WAS ALLOWED TO DEVIATE TO THE E AROUND THE WORST WX. I CALLED THE ATC SUPVR WHEN I LANDED TO SEE WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE DIFFERENTLY. HE SAID I WAS THE PROB AND DID I FLT PLAN THE WX AND SAID HE WAS TOO BUSY TO TALK TO ME AND HUNG UP! I CALLED HIM BACK SEVERAL HRS LATER AND HE WAS NICER AND I ASKED HIM WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. HE SAID NOTHING. I ASKED HIM TO REVIEW THE TAPES PLEASE AND CALL ME BACK. HE SAID HE WOULD. IT'S 7 DAYS LATER AND HE HAS NOT CALLED. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY FLYING CAREER THAT I HAVE FILED A RPT LIKE THIS. THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY THAN INSISTING AN ACFT FLY INTO ADVERSE WX. THIS OCCURRED MID-MORNING. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A HIGH TFC TIME.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.