ACR Y CLB THROUGH OCCUPIED ALT HAD LTSS FROM MLT X. SYS ERROR.

Narrative

WORKING RADAR IN THE PCA OVER SIE ISLE (SIE)/ATLANTIC CITY (ACY) THE SECTOR CTLS FROM FL180 AND ABOVE IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SECTOR AND FL240 AND ABOVE IN THE NORTHERN HALF. RADAR SECTOR 59 IS PREDOMINANTLY A TRANSITION AREA FOR NBOUND ARRS INTO NY METRO AREA AND SBOUND DEPS FROM THIS SAME AREA. DURING THE MORNING DEP FLOW OF TFC; I WAS INVOLVED WITH ESTABLISHING THE INITIAL SEQUENCE FOR ARRS INTO RALEIGH DURHAM (RDU) ARPT WHILE TRANSITIONING THE NY METRO DEPS INTO HIGH ALT STRATUM. I ACCEPTED A RADAR HDOF ON MLT X TRACKING DOWN J174 FROM HAMPTON VORTAC (HTO) TOWARD SNOW HILL VORTAC (SWL). I INITIATED COORD WITH ZNY TO HAVE A DEP THAT I WAS ACCEPTING A HDOF ON TURN R TO A HDG OF 250 DEGS RADAR VECTORS FOR HIS CLB. HAVING OBSERVED MLT X TRACKING SBOUND FOR APPROX 10 MI ON A STEADY HDG I POINTED OUT THE JFK DEP TO ZBW FOR CTL TO CLB ACR Y REF MLT X. AT THE TIME AND POINT I THOUGHT I HAD THE MIN SEPARATION NEED TO CLB THE DEP ACR Y FROM FL230 TO HIS REQUESTED HIGHER ALT. I ISSUED CLB CLRNC AND WITHIN A MIN; MIN SEPARATION (5 MI OR 1000 FT) WAS LOST. CLOSEST PROX 2.6 MI DIVERGING. THINGS THAT HAPPENED DURING INCIDENT: 1) WHEN SEPARATION WAS LOST I ATTEMPTED TO CANCEL THE CLB CLRNC BUT NO RESPONSE WAS RECEIVED FROM ACR Y. 2) BY THE TIME ACR Y DID ACKNOWLEDGE TRANSMISSIONS HE WAS LEAVING FL245; CLBING; SO THERE WAS NO REASON TO STOP HIS CLB. 3) DURING THE TIME CLB WAS ISSUED TO ACR Y; THE MLT X ACFT HAD DRIFTED 6 MI W OF COURSE OF J174.