PLTDEV BTWN CPR A AND CPR B.

Narrative

SABERLINER ACFT LEVEL AT FL390 WBOUND. LEARJET ACFT LEVEL AT FL370 EBOUND. ACFT ARE 10 MI APART. SABERLINER ASKS FOR FL240. I READ HIM HIS TFC AND TELL HIM LOWER WHEN CLR OF TFC. I THEN ASK HIM IF HE HAS A PROB. SABERLINER SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT SMOKE. I TELL SABERLINER I CAN HAVE LOWER FOR HIM IN 1 1/2 MINS AND TELL HIM IF HE CAN'T WAIT FOR LOWER; TO ADVISE AND I WILL ISSUE TURNS. NO RESPONSE. I NOTICED THE SABERLINER LEAVE ASSIGNED ALT IN A DSCNT MODE. I CONTINUE ISSUING TFC TO BOTH ACFT. I OBSERVED THE SABERLINER AT FL272 WHILE THE LEAR IS AT FL370; DISTANCE; ZERO MI. THE SABERLINER THEN CLBS BACK TO FL390. I HAVE HIM CONFIRM HE IS LEVEL AT FL390; THEN I ISSUE HIM LOWER BECAUSE NOW; I HAVE THE REQUIRED 5 MI SEPARATION. ALL OF THIS SCENARIO HAPPENS QUICKLY -- IN ABOUT 10-20 SECONDS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 277100: THE PNF REQUESTED A LOWER ALT; STATING THAT WE WERE EXPERIENCING A PROB WITH SMOKE IN COCKPIT. WE WERE IMMEDIATELY GRANTED FL370; SET THE ALERTER; AND INITIATED DSCNT. WE STILL HAD NOT DETERMINED THE ORIGIN OF THE NOISE AND ODOR; AND I TOLD PNF TO EXPLAIN TO ATC THE SIT; AND OBTAIN CLRNC TO FL280 OR BELOW. ATC ADVISED THAT FL330 WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN ABOUT 1.5 MINS. SUDDENLY; ATC ASKED US IF WE WERE DSNDING OUT OF FL390; AS THERE WAS TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK; AND 10 MI; AT FL370. THE TONE OF THE CTLR WAS STRAINED; AND SENSING ANOTHER COMPLICATION; I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A PULL-UP TO FL390; AND RPTED LEVEL 390. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 277101: UPON NOTIFYING ATC OF OUR PROB; WE WERE ASKED IF WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER; WHICH WE DECLINED. MOMENTS LATER WE WERE CLRED TO FL370 AND TOLD TO EXPECT LOWER SHORTLY. UPON INITIATING DSCNT TO FL370; THE CTLR ASKED US TO CONFIRM WE WERE STILL LEVEL AT FL390; AND THAT WE HAD OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK FL370. WE IMMEDIATELY PULLED UP TO CLB BACK TO FL390. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 277242: AT APPROX XX00 LCL; CPR A; A N265 WBOUND AT FL390; ADVISED RADAR CTLR OF NEED TO DSND TO FL240. I WAS ASSOCIATE RADAR CTLR AT THE TIME. RADAR CTLR INFORMED CPR B THAT THERE WAS TFC EBOUND AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 10 MI OF FL370 (CPR B; A LR35). RADAR CTLR ASKED CPR A IF THERE WAS A PROB. PLT SAID 'WE MAY HAVE A SMOKE PROB.' CTLR SAID SHE COULD TURN CPR A TO GET HIM LOWER; QUICKER. PLT DID NOT RESPOND. ACFT BEGAN DSNDING. MODE C READ FL386; FL378; FL373 AS THE 2 TARGETS APPEARED TO MERGE. DURING THE DSCNT RADAR CTLR NUMEROUS TIMES ANNOUNCED TFC TO CPR B RADAR CTLR ALSO INFORMED CPR B OF THE DEVIATING ACFT DSNDING INTO AND CPR A CORRECTED HIS ALT AND CLBED BACK TO FL390. THE PLT THEN STATED HE HAD SMOKE IN COCKPIT; AND RADAR CTLR CLRED ACFT TO FL330.