Cessna Citation Undifferentiated or Other Model
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 2
Confusion; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Airspace Structure; Procedure; Human Factors
Wind was gusting to 15 knots at ZZZ; and the Citation seemed unsure on if they wanted to land at ZZZ or go somewhere else. They got all the way to about 3 minutes from the field before they stated that they had the field in sight and wanted the Visual Approach. They had been assigned present heading and to maintain 9 thousand; but then I cleared them for the Visual Approach. Shortly after the aircraft informed they were VMC and were just going to do local maneuvers while they 'come up with a plan'. They had not begun their descent; and I asked if they were cancelling IFR; and they said no. I told them 'approach clearance cancelled; maintained 9 thousand' and I neglected to give them routing. A hit (radar update) or two goes by and they make a slight left turn and I assign them a heading for terrain. A few hits later; they made a turn into the 9700 foot MIA (Minimum IFR Altitude) at 9 thousand feet. The pilot was cleared for the Visual; and the last thing I expected them to do was to turn about 160 degrees away from the airfield. They're allowed to climb; descend; and turn; on a Visual Approach; but they're required to keep the field in sight; which they obviously can't do on that easterly heading; so I'm not sure why they turned that far east. Additionally; I don't think a Visual Approach clearance enables an aircraft to just hold and 'come up with a plan'. I get updates every 12 seconds; and I kept waiting; and hoping; that the pilot would fly their assigned heading. I'm not sure how long it took for him to be established on the turn; but if I had updates every second; I would have known he wasn't taking my turn; and climbed him. This airspace area needs an Approach Control. I believe that if there had been faster updates on the data block; I would have taken different action.
A Center Controller reported a fractional jet deviated from their assigned heading and flew below the Minimum IFR Altitude after the Controller rescinded a Visual Approach clearance due to confusion of the crew's intentions.