2006-07 · NASA ASRS report 705135
JAX TRACON CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR AT 9000 FT WHEN CLBING AN ACFT TO AN OCCUPIED ALT.
I WAS WORKING 4 RADAR SECTORS COMBINED WITH A LARGE AREA OF TSTM ACTIVITY THROUGH THE SECTORS RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE COORD AND FREQ CONGESTION DURING A PERIOD OF MODERATE (13 ACFT) TFC. I ISSUED A COURSE DEV FOR ACFT Y; BE10 DEPARTING GNV; FL; ENRTE TO MCO; FL; TO AVOID WX AND AN ALT OF 9000 FT PER LOA VERSUS 7000 FT REQUESTED ON THE FLT PLAN. ACFT X HS125 INBOUND TO GNV; FL; FROM THE S WAS ALSO ISSUED COURSE DEV FOR WX THEN ASSIGNED A DSCNT TO 8000 FT. I ASSIGNED 8000 FT THINKING I HAD ASSIGNED 7000 FT TO THE BE10. THE BE10 CLBED QUICKLY AND WAS LEVEL AT 9000 FT WITHIN 15 MI E OF GNV. ACFT X DSNDED VERY SLOWLY; LEVELED AT 10000 FT UNTIL ABOUT 12 MI FROM ACFT Y THEN MADE A TURN TOWARD AND DSNDED INTO ACFT Y RESULTING IN A LOSS OF SEPARATION (600 FT VERSUS 1000 FT). ACFT X WAS AT 8800 FT DSNDING 5 MI FROM ACFT Y WHERE ACFT Y RESPONDED TO AN RA THEN CLBED UP TO 9100 FT CHANGED THE ACTION THEN DSNDED RESULTING IN 600 FT SEPARATION. I WAS INVOLVED IN COORD AT THE TIME AND WAS NOT AWARE THE ACFT WERE CONFLICTING AS THE NEW STARS EQUIP'S CONFLICT ALERT DID NOT SOUND AN ALARM. PRIMARY CAUSE: I ISSUED 8000 FT TO ACFT X THINKING I HAD ASSIGNED 7000 FT TO ACFT Y. FREQ CONGESTION AND COORD PREVENTED ME FROM DOUBLECHKING ALT INFO WHICH I WOULD NORMALLY DO. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: ACFT X DID NOT APPEAR TO DSND AT A STANDARD RATE AND THE RESPONSE TO AN RA RESULTED IN THE ACFT CLBING INTO ACFT Y WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE UNTIL AFTER THE ACFT HAD PASSED. THE FAA'S CONFLICT ALERT EQUIP DID NOT ALARM. FREQ CONGESTION: THE REDUCED STRENGTH OF THE FREQS BEING USED IN THIS LARGE SECTOR REQUIRES THE USE OF MULTIPLE FREQS AS ACFT PROGRESS THROUGH THE SECTOR. YOU MUST USE MULTIPLE FREQS SIMULTANEOUSLY OR LOSE RADIO COVERAGE WITH THE ACFT. HUMAN PERFORMANCE: THE FAA BEGAN A POLICY ABOUT 1-2 YRS AGO TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY (REDUCE CTLR'S TIME OFF POS) DURING A SHIFT. CTLRS ARE WORKING CONSIDERABLY MORE TIME ON POS WITH LESS BREAKS RESULTING IN TIRED CTLRS RETURNING FROM SHORT BREAKS TO WORK HVY TFC.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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