OPERROR IN CLASS A AIRSPACE. RPTR DSNDED A FLT THROUGH AIRSPACE OCCUPIED BY ANOTHER ACFT HE HAD HANDED OFF TO AN ADJACENT CTR; BUT STILL IN HIS AIRSPACE. RPTR CITED FATIGUE AND WX AS BEING FACTORS IN HIS PERFORMANCE.

Date: 1996-03 · Aircraft: Turbo Commander (JetProp) Undifferentiated

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

OPERROR IN CLASS A AIRSPACE. RPTR DSNDED A FLT THROUGH AIRSPACE OCCUPIED BY ANOTHER ACFT HE HAD HANDED OFF TO AN ADJACENT CTR; BUT STILL IN HIS AIRSPACE. RPTR CITED FATIGUE AND WX AS BEING FACTORS IN HIS PERFORMANCE.

Narrative

I WAS THE RADAR CTLR AT A HIGH ALT SECTOR (FL240 AND ABOVE) OVER THE EASTERN PART OF NC. AFTER A BUSY SESSION THE SECTOR WENT FROM 3 TO 2 TO 1 CTLRS (1 BEING ME). AN ACFT; XXX; I HAD JUST HANDED OFF TO ZJX WAS AT FL280 SBOUND. ANOTHER ACFT; YYY; WAS NBOUND; OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE XXX IN MODERATE CHOP. I HAD GOTTEN CTL OF YYY IN ZJX AIRSPACE. I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE XXX I HAD HANDED OFF TO ZJX BECAUSE THE DATA TAG WAS GONE; MAKING THE XXX MUCH LESS OBVIOUS. I DSNDED THE YYY TO FL270; THE CONFLICT ALERT WENT OFF. WITH A LOT OF TALKING AND CONFUSION ON THE FREQ AND MY OVERRIDE; I HAD ISSUED A CLRNC FOR THE YYY TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE R TURN HDG 090 DEGS AND EXPEDITE TO FL290. YYY HAD APPEARED TO HAVE JUST LEFT THE ALT (FL290 FOR FL270). THEREFORE; A QUICK RETURN TO THE ALT WOULD SOLVE THE CONFLICTION. BUT DUE TO THE CONFUSION AN ACFT SAID; 'CLRNC BLOCKED;' AND TIME HAD ELAPSED HAVING TO REISSUE THE CLRNC AGAIN. BY THEN; THE ZJX CTLR WAS YELLING ON THE SHOUT LINE THAT HE WAS TURNING XXX TO THE L AND CLBING TO FL290 IN MY AIRSPACE WITHOUT CTL (AFTER FACT). HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO COORDINATE THIS WHILE I WAS REISSUING MY ORIGINAL CLRNC TO YYY (AFTER FACT). AFTER THE YYY RECEIVED MY CLRNC I JUMPED ON THE COORD LINE WITH THE OTHER CTLR AND REALIZED HE HAD TURNED THE XXX IN THE SAME DIRECTION I HAD AND CLBED THE XXX TO THE ALT I HAD RECLRED THE YYY TO. QUICKLY I JUMPED OFF THE LINE TO THE FREQ. THE YYY INFORMED ME HE WAS GETTING A TCASII INSTRUCTION TO DSND. I TOLD THE PLT TO KEEP CLBING; EXPEDITE TO FL310; A SAFE ALT -- BECAUSE AT THAT POINT THE ACFT WERE 5 MI OR LESS APART AND MERGING. THE YYY WAS A FEW HUNDRED FT ABOVE THE XXX (I'M NOT SURE OF THE SPECIFIC ALTS). THE PLT TOOK MY 'CLB' CLRNC OVER THE TCASII INSTRUCTION. THE YYY RPTED REACHING FL310; A SAFE ALT. I THINK FATIGUE WAS A FACTOR ON MY BEHALF DUE TO TSTMS AND BAD RIDES DURING THE SHIFT. SINCE; I FELT; IMMEDIATE ACTION HAD TO BE TAKEN; I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE ZJX CTLR WAS GOING TO DO. SINCE HE DIDN'T HAVE CTL OF THE XXX IN MY AIRSPACE; IF HE HAD NOT CLBED AND TURNED THE XXX WE MIGHT NOT BE WRITING THIS LETTER. ON THE OTHER HAND; IF I WAS AWARE THE XXX WAS SBOUND AT FL280 AND HAD LEFT THE YYY AT FL290 UNTIL THEY HAD PASSED IN ZJX AIRSPACE BEFORE I DSNDED THE YYY; THINGS MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT; TOO. BUT; THERE WAS NO LONGER A VISUAL AID OF THE XXX ON MY RADAR SCOPE ANYMORE; MAKING IT EASY TO FORGET THAT THE XXX WAS EVER THERE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.