ACR X HAD LTSS FROM SMA Y. SYS ERROR.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING THE ENTIRE APCH CTL AT COLORADO SPRINGS. NO OTHER POSITIONS WERE OPEN. THE POS IS CALLED RADAR S. I WAS ADVISED BY TWR OF A LARGE NUMBER OF ACFT TAXIING OUT TKOF; AND THAT 4 WOULD BE DOING MULTIPLE ILS APCHS DUE TO IFR WX. I THEN ADVISED MY SUPVR THAT IT WAS GOING TO GET BUSY. HE ONLY ACKNOWLEDGED MY STATEMENT. ALONG WITH THE ACFT GETTING READY TO DEPART; I ALREADY HAD 2 TRAINING IFR ACFT; 4 ITINERANT ARRS; AND 4 IFR OVER FLTS. AT THIS POINT I WAS ALREADY QUITE BUSY. WITHIN A COUPLE MINS THE ACFT WERE DEPARTING AND I GETTING MORE TFC THAN I FELT I COULD SAFELY HANDLE. I AGAIN ADVISED MY SUPVR OF MY SITUATION AND REQUESTED THAT A SEC RADAR SCOPE BE OPENED AT THE RADAR N POS. HE SET UP THE N SCOPE AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO RECEIVE A BRIEF FROM MYSELF. THIS BRIEF WAS VERY INSUFFICIENT AND INADEQUATE DUE TO CONTINUOUS INTERRUPTIONS FROM ACFT CALLING ON FREQ; TWR TRYING TO CALL OFF DEPS; AND DENVER CENTER CALLING TO COORD. AT THIS POINT THE SUPVR TOOK THE FREQS FOR N AND STARTED XMITTING. I CAME OFF THE FREQ FOR N AND CONTINUED TO TALK TO PLANES ON S FREQS. AT THIS POINT THERE WERE ACFT NOW ON THE WRONG FREQS DUE TO THE SPLIT RADAR POSITIONS; AND I WAS ATTEMPTING TO GET ACFT OVER TO N FREQ THAT THE N CTLR NEEDED TO SPEAK TO. I THEN NOTICED ACR X AND AN AIR TAXI; SBOUND TO PUEBLO AT 100 AND SMA Y OUT OF 90 FOR 100 MSL NBOUND. EARLIER SMA Y CHKED IN OUT OF 80 FOR 100 MSL. BOTH ACFT WERE STILL SEPARATED BY MORE THAN 3 MI BUT THE DISTANCE WAS CLOSING. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO ACR X; AND ISSUED A TURN OF 220 DEG TO INSURE SEPARATION. I RECEIVED NO REPLY. NOW THERE WAS LESS THAN 3 MI SO I WENT TO SMA Y AND INSTRUCTED HIM TO MAINTAIN PRESENT ALT; MAINTAIN 95 MSL. HE COMPLIED AND THIS IS WHERE THE ERROR OCCURRED. DURING THIS SAME TIME ACR X WAS CALLING N; SINCE HE HADN'T BEEN PUT ON MY FREQ AND ADVISED THE CTLR THAT HE OBSERVED A TARGET 500 FT BELOW ON TCASII EQUIP. ACR X NEVER DEVIATED IN ALT OR IN HDG. I WAS STILL UNAWARE THAT ACR X WAS NOT ON MY FREQ. AFTER THE 2 ACFT HAD PASSED I CLBED SMA Y TO 100 MSL AND AGAIN WENT TO ACR X TO DSND HIM TO 90 BUT GOT NO ANSWER. THE N CTLR THEN TOLD ME THAT ACR X WAS IN HIS FREQ. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SITUATION: NOT ENOUGH STAFFING TO PREVENT 1 INDIVIDUAL FROM BECOMING OVERWHELMED AND GETTING HELP TOO LATE. HAVING TO ASK FOR HELP FROM A SUPVR WHO SHOULD ALREADY BE AWARE OF THE SITUATION AND BE PREPARED TO HELP BEFORE IT GETS TOO BUSY. THE SITUATION OCCURRED BECAUSE: THE BRIEFING WAS INSUFFICIENT AND INADEQUATE. IT WAS JUST TOO BUSY WITH PLANES CALLING; TWR CALLING PFF DEPS; AND ADJACENT FACS CALLING TO GIVE A SATISFACTORY BRIEFING. THE SUPVR OPENING THE N SCOPE NEVER SAID HE ASSUMED THE POS; BUT INSTEAD TOOK THE FREQS AND STARTED XMITTING. I REALIZE THE INTENTIONS WERE GOOD BECAUSE THIS WOULD RELIEVE SOME OF THE BURDEN I HAD; BUT TO TAKE A POS WITHOUT A COMPLETE BRIEF IS NOT WISE. SINCE I WAS TOO BUSY TO TELL HIM WHO WAS OR WAS NOT ON HIS FREQ; HE WAS UNAWARE THAT ACR X WAS ON HIS FREQ. BECAUSE I WAS EXTREMELY BUSY AND ATTEMPTING A BRIEF UNDER ADVERSE CONDITIONS; THIS LED TO MY LACK OF CONTINUOUS SCANNING TO SEE THE POTENTIAL CONFLICT THAT WAS GETTING READY TO OCCUR. SUGGESTIONS TO HELP THIS FROM OCCURRING AGAIN: HAVE 2 SCOPES KEPT OPEN DURING THE BUSIEST TIME OF THE DAY TO ENSURE SUFFICIENT HELP IS AVAILABLE. AT COLORADO SPRINGS; 1 MIN IT'S SLOW AND THE NEXT QUITE BUSY WITHOUT MUCH WARNING. MORE STAFFING! FROM X:30 TO Y:30 AM THERE WAS JUST MYSELF AND A SUPVR. ACCORDING TO DAILY TFC COUNT THOSE ARE THE BUSIEST HRS OF THE DAY; EVERY DAY. NOT ONLY IS THIS INADEQUATE; BUT TRYING TO GET ADEQUATE BREAKS BECOMES DIFFICULT.