2007-09 · NASA ASRS report 752950
ZOA CTLR PROVIDING OJT; EXPERIENCED NEAR LOSS OF SEPARATION AT APPROX FL320 WITH OPPOSITE DIR TFC; CITING OJT NOTE TAKING AS CONTRIBUTORY.
I WAS PROVIDING OJT TO A RADAR TRAINEE. 20 ACFT IN SECTOR. OCCASIONAL LIGHT CHOP/TURB ALL ALTS. SFO SPACING REQUIRES 15 MI IN TRAIL. THE TRAINEE WAS VECTORING 5 ACFT FOR SPACING TO SFO IN SW QUADRANT OF THE SECTOR. D-SIDE ACCEPTED HDOF (CRJ) UP TO FL290. TRAINEE WAS COMPELLED TO CLB THIS CRJ INTO THE SECTOR (FL300 AND ABOVE) SO ISSUED FL310. CREATED POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH A NWBOUND ACFT AT FL300. I ENCOURAGED TRAINEE TO TURN THE ACFT AT FL300 20 DEGS L TO AVOID OR ACCOMMODATE THE CRJ UP TO FL310. TRAINEE ISSUED VECTORS TO THE SFO BOUND ACFT. FROM THE SE OF OAL VORTAC IS A CITATION AT FL340 DESTINED TO TRK; ROUTED J92 OAL DIRECT TRK. TRAINEE ISSUED DSCNT CLRNC TO FL300 TO TRK BOUND ACFT. I DID NOT HEAR THIS CLRNC BEING ISSUED. I WAS WRITING A NOTE FOR LATER CRITIQUE AND ALSO MAINTAINING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WITH THE ACFT ON VECTORS FOR SPACING; AND THE 1 ACFT ON A VECTOR FOR TFC. THEN WITH DISBELIEF I NOTICED A SEBOUND (ACFT #1) OVER OAL VORTAC AT FL330 AND ACFT #2 (CITATION) NWBOUND MODE C INDICATING 338 WITH ASSIGNED ALT OF FL300. THESE 2 ACFT ARE NEARLY 12-14 MI APART (NOSE TO NOSE) OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I ISSUED A 60 DEG L TURN TO ACFT #2 AND CLRNC TO MAINTAIN PRESENT ALT. #2 RESPONDED UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT (SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED DSCNT RATE; HOWEVER). THEN; I ISSUED 40 DEG L TURN WITH EXPEDITIOUS DSCNT TO FL300 TO ACFT #1. 40 DEGS DUE TO TONOPAH TEST RANGE TO THE E. SHOULD HAVE USED 'IMMEDIATELY' VERSUS 'EXPEDITE.' #2 APPEARED TO LEVEL AT FL334; I REQUESTED #1 TO RPT LEAVING FL324 (SEPARATION) AND #1 RESPONDED LEAVING FL321 (AS #1 AND #2 WERE 5 MI LATERAL AND DECREASING) AND LEVELING AT FL300. CONFLICT ALERT DID ACTIVATE; THEN; AUTOMATICALLY EXTINGUISHED. SEPARATION WAS MAINTAINED. ACFT #1 RPTED TFC NO FACTOR. I BELIEVE #2 COULD NOT STOP DSCNT PERHAPS DUE TO AN RA (TCAS) (#2 DID NOT ADVISE OF RA) AND #1 MAY HAVE INITIATED AN RA DSCNT AS I WAS ISSUING DSCNT CLRNC. I WAS PERHAPS LUCKY THAT BOTH ACFT GOT THEIR CLRNCS VERSUS BLOCKED DUE TO RADIO CONGESTION. ACFT ALSO RESPONDED QUICKLY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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