Date: 201808
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: ZMA.ARTCC, FL
Flight conditions: Marginal
Weather elements / visibility: Thunderstorm
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Medium Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Descent; Initial Approach
Airspace: Class B MIA
ATC / advisory: TRACON MIA
Reporter function: Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Procedure; Weather
Primary problem: Weather

Narrative: We received a very extensive vectoring to arrive in Miami. We were reassigned several arrivals and at one point while in cruise were instructed to turn the wrong direction and we flew the wrong direction for quite some distance and they would not allow us to slow down. We were reassigned several arrivals and many changes. We were really on constant vectoring. The loop at the top was a high speed vector that cost about 1000 pounds. After many changes we were assigned direct Freeport and the FLIPR Five arrival. We declared minimum fuel at this point because we did not have enough to go all the way to LUCSS at the south end of arrival we told ATC this several times. ATC assured us we wouldn't have to go that far. This change in arrival and vectoring added about 300 miles to the trip. We finally receive direct to FLIPR. Which was a westerly heading. As we were going there the [company] in front of us was assigned a 220 heading. They refused the heading because just to the south of the course was a large cell. ATC got upset with them and then assigned us the same 220 heading. I refused it as well because I will not fly into a cell. At this point they turned us to 360 heading asked us what our alternate was. I stated FLL. They said you are now going to Fort Lauderdale. I did not ask for Fort Lauderdale. I did not ask to divert. I did not have any extra fuel to waste taking a chance going to Fort Lauderdale as there were rain and storms over the field at Fort Lauderdale. We were really not prepared to go to FLL. Our calculation shows had we continued on the arrival as assigned we were predicting to land with 2.6 FOB (Fuel on Board) at Miami and 2.1 FOB at Fort Lauderdale. Dispatch had recalculated the bingo repeatedly for each change in proposed routing. Each time the computer calculated insufficient fuel for the proposed route. So both our FMS and dispatch systems agreed the fuel was low. On the 360 heading after giving it some thought and looking at the weather at Fort Lauderdale I decided to [advice ATC of our fuel situation] as we were down to about 3600 pounds. I was not willing to let ATC back me into any more corners I felt as though this was the safest plan as we could see Miami. Fort Lauderdale was questionable and we never asked for Fort Lauderdale and I feel as though there vectoring to Fort Lauderdale was retaliatory because we were unwilling to fly into a cell. At this point I didn't have trust in ATC. Again there was weather over FLL. Our inability to fly into a very strong cell is what caused them to order us to go to Fort Lauderdale. ATC is not authorized to order us to go somewhere. At this point the safest course was to land in Miami as our fuel was running low and we had burned over 2000 additional pounds over the original plan burn. I'm not going to allow them to run me out of gas or put the safety of flight in jeopardy. With [ATC advised] we went a considerably shorter distance to MIA from where we were expecting. This did result in landing with more fuel. We were dispatched with more than adequate fuel to handle normal contingencies and normal vectoring and some holding. ATC well exceeded this. There was plenty of room between storms and the weather in the area and this was unnecessary extra vectoring. This is my first and only [time advising ATC of my fuel situation] in 17 years at the airline and 14 as captain.




Synopsis: Air carrier Captain reported excessive vectoring from ATC caused a critical fuel situation.