ARTS TAG ON IFR DEP OFF OLM DID NOT ACQUIRE AND WAS NOT NOTICED BY CTLR. TARGET CONFLICTED WITH ANOTHER ACFT RESULTING IN AN OPERROR.

Narrative

ARTS IIIE SYS IN USE AT S46. THE INABILITY OF ARTS TO IDENT A PROB WITH DUPLICATE FLT NUMBERS RESULTED IN A LOSS OF SEPARATION. FLT DEPARTED OLM ARPT; IFR TO BOEING FIELD. A DIFFERENT ACFT WITH THE SAME FLT NUMBER HAD AN ARTS TAG ASSOCIATED WITH A RADAR TARGET AT A DIFFERENT RADAR POS. AS A RESULT; AN ARTS DATA TAG DID NOT ACQUIRE ON THE OLM DEPARTING ACFT #1. DUE TO POS COMPLEXITY AND TFC VOLUME; THE RADAR TARGET WAS NOT IDENTED UNTIL LOSS OF SEPARATION OCCURRED. I CONSIDERED TFC AT THE SATELLITE 'N' POS TO BE HEAVY IN DENSITY; AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULT IN COMPLEXITY FOR THE BETTER PART OF AN HR. LOW CEILINGS MADE IFR FLT A NECESSITY. ADDITIONALLY; OP WAS IN PROGRESS AT TCM AFB. NUMEROUS FLTS WITH FOREIGN PLTS WHO SPOKE BROKEN ENGLISH ON BAD RADIOS WERE A MAJOR DISTR. THERE WAS ALSO A MIL C130 NEEDING SPECIAL ASSISTANCE AT GRF AIRFIELD DUE TO A NOSE GEAR PROB. TO PUT IT SUCCINCTLY; AT TIMES LIKE THIS; WE COUNT ON OUR EQUIP (ARTS IN THIS CASE) TO HELP US DO OUR JOB. HAD AN ARTS DATA TAG ACQUIRED ON THE RADAR TARGET; SEPARATION WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN LOST.