Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) .5
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Weather
Multiple aircraft reported 'Severe Turbulence' on the CAPSS and CAVLR STARs into the DC Metro Area from the South. Despite multiple reports and PIREPs being recorded TMU refused to reroute aircraft onto a different STAR away from this turbulence. Unfortunately for this aircraft he reported severe turbulence (fear could be heard in his voice) while descending via on the CAVLR3 STAR. The aircraft was unable to continue descending on the STAR as the pilots said 'Unable to descend fighting the turbulence.' To me this sounds like the aircraft was in extreme turbulence which according to the Pilot Controller Glossary is defined as 'the aircraft is violently tossed and is practically impossible to control. It may cause structural damage.' Fighting the turbulence and not being able to descend would seem to fit into this definition in my opinion.I would recommend that when multiple reports of severe turbulence are reported over a very short span of time; by multiple aircraft types and multiple air carriers/operators that the TMU be more proactive in routing aircraft around this weather instead of continuing to run aircraft into it. There was no reason that this aircraft should have had to endure that ride or the undue stressed it caused on the pilots' as heard in their voice when listening to the tapes. Multiple latent errors had occurred by the TMU in ignoring the PIREPs and continue to route planes into this weather. We were very lucky that the plane had no structural damage and that there were no injuries as a result.
ZDC ARTCC Controller reported that multiple aircraft were not re-routed away from severe turbulence by the Traffic Management Unit.