ARTCC RADAR CTLR VECTORS; BUT CANNOT MAINTAIN LEGAL SEPARATION BTWN CLBING GULF AND 3120 ON XING FLT TRACKS.

Narrative

A GULFSTREAM (ACFT X) DEPARTED SCK FOR HNL VIA OAK. THE PLT CHKED ONTO CTR FREQ CLBING OUT OF 9000 FT FOR 10000 FT; REQUESTING HIGHER. ACFT X WAS HEAD-ON WITH A BRASILIA E120 (ACFT Y) 30 MI AWAY CLBING TO 13000 FT; STILL IN APCH CTL AIRSPACE AND ON APCH FREQ. CTR CLRED ACFT X TO FL230. BEFORE AND AFTER THE CLRNC; ACFT X CLBED IN EXCESS OF 2500 FPM. AT ABUT 12400 FT ACFT X LEVELED. AFTER THE THIRD LEVEL RADAR ALT UPDATE (ABOUT 24 SECONDS); CTR EXPEDITED ACFT X THROUGH 14000 TO FL230 FOR OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC (NOW ABOUT 15 MI AWAY). ACFT X MISREAD FL240. CTR TURNED ACFT X 20 DEGS R AND RECLRED TO FL230 AND ISSUED A TA. ACFT X READ BACK THE CLRNC CORRECTLY. A FEW SECONDS LATER; ACFT Y CHKED ON FREQ AT 13000 FT REQUESTING FL230. CTR ACKNOWLEDGED THE REQUEST AND TURNED HIM 20 DEGS R FOR TFC. AFTER ANOTHER 20 SECONDS; ACFT X STILL APPEARED TO BE LEVEL AND CTR ASKED IF HE WAS CLBING; TO WHICH ACFT X SAID CLBING SLOWLY. CTR TOLD ACFT X TO RPT LEAVING 14000 FT (NOW ABOUT 12800 FT AND 10 MI FROM ACFT Y). CTR TURNED ACFT Y R HDG 160 DEGS (ABOUT 70 DEGS); THEN TURNED ACFT X TO HDG 340 DEGS. ACFT X READ BACK FL340 QUESTIONING. CTR RECLRED TURN R HDG 340 DEGS; CLB AND MAINTAIN FL230; WHICH ACFT X ACKNOWLEDGED AND THEN RPTED THE TFC IN SIGHT. CTR CLRED ACFT X TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM TFC AND RESUME NAV TO OAK. ACFT Y THEN RPTED ACFT X IN SIGHT AND CTR CLRED HIM TO FL230 AND ON COURSE. MINIMUM SEPARATION (5 MI; 1000 FT) WAS LOST BEFORE VISUAL ATTAINED. ABOUT 2 MINS LATER; ACFT X (DIFFERENT VOICE SPEAKING) REQUESTED LEVELOFF FOR HOT BRAKES. THIS WAS THE FIRST NOTIFICATION OF AN ACFT PROB. ACFT X CALLED ENRTE TO CTR TO ADVISE THEY HAD LOWERED THE GEAR TO COOL OFF GEAR/BRAKES. CTR HAD OBSERVED THE CLB OF ACFT X BEFORE CHK-ON AND ESTIMATED THAT HE WOULD OUTCLB ACFT Y BY 4000 FT BEFORE THEIR PROTECTED AIRSPACE OVERLAPPED. WHEN ACFT X LEVELED; CTR STILL THOUGHT ACFT X CAPABLE OF BETTER CLB RATE AND CONTINUED TO PLAN OF ACFT X GETTING ABOVE ACFT Y. AT THAT TIME; THERE WAS ADEQUATE TIME; DISTANCE; AND ALT FOR CTR TO ADJUST HIS PLAN HAD HE KNOWN ACFT X WOULD BE UNABLE TO PERFORM AS PREVIOUSLY OBSERVED. THIS WOULD PROBABLY SAVED ACFT X THE DISTRS OF SEVERAL AMENDED CLRNCS AND CTR REISSUING MISSED CLRNCS. CTR COULD ALSO HAVE LET ACFT X HAVE HIS DESIRE TO LEVEL EARLIER AND MANEUVER ACFT Y AROUND HIM.