P31 CTLR DESCRIBED INCIDENT WHEN MIL DEP WAS LESS THAN REQUIRED IFR SEPARATION FROM PREVIOUS DEP; FAILED COORD AND PF CONFUSION BLAMED.

Narrative

WE WERE WORKING SOUTH WHITING (NDZ) RADAR SECTOR WITH NUMEROUS ARRS AND DEPS WITH 4-5 ACFT IN THE GCA PATTERN. RPTED CEILING WAS 2000 FT BROKEN. WE HAD BEEN WORKING ACFT X IN THE PATTERN FOR SEVERAL MINS. HE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED A VFR SQUAWK BY NDZ TWR AND WE ASSUMED HE WAS VFR. ON CLBOUT AFTER AN APCH; NDZ TWR CALLED US AND SAID THAT ACFT X WAS IMC AND HAD ADVISED THEM THAT HE WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. AT THIS TIME; ACFT X WAS APPROX 1 MI BEHIND AN IFR DEP OFF NDZ (BOTH WERE AT 1700 FT). WE CALLED ACFT X AND ADVISED HIM THAT WE SHOWED HE WAS ON A VFR FLT PLAN AND TO MAINTAIN VFR. HE ARGUED THAT NDZ HAD CLRED HIM IFR. WE TOLD HIM TO MAINTAIN VFR AND INITIATED A VECTOR AWAY FROM THE OTHER ACFT. WHEN WE HAD IFR SEPARATION FROM ALL THE OTHER ACFT IN OUR SECTOR; WE ISSUED HIM AN IFR CODE (MSAW PROCESSING) AND CLRED HIM IFR. WE ALSO ASKED HIM TO CALL THE TRACON WHEN HE GOT ON THE GND. AFTER TALKING WITH THE PLT BY PHONE; HE ADVISED THAT NDZ HAD CLRED HIM IFR; HOWEVER ON THE LAND LINE; NDZ HAD ADVISED THE TRACON THAT THE ACFT WAS VFR. WE HAD ALSO TOLD HIM EARLIER WHILE IN THE PATTERN TO MAINTAIN VFR; AND HE DID NOT QUESTION IT. IF HE WAS CLRED IFR; WE WERE NOT AWARE OF IT; AND WE MAY HAVE LOST IFR SEPARATION WITH OTHER ACFT IN OUR AIRSPACE PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. THE CONFUSION OVER FLT PLANS AT NDZ IS NOT NEW -- ACFT OFTEN FILE MULTIPLE FLT PLANS AND/OR REQUEST VFR PRACTICE APCHS BEFORE PICKING UP THEIR IFR FLT PLAN. IN THIS CASE; THE PLT TOLD US ON THE PHONE THAT HE HAD FILED WITH BASE OPS BOTH A LCL IFR FLT PLAN FOR APCHS AT NDZ AS WELL AS ANOTHER IFR FLT PLAN TO DEPART THE AREA AFTER HE WAS DONE WITH THE APCHS. THE PLT TOLD US THAT NDZ HAD ISSUED HIM A SQUAWK AND CLRED HIM (IFR) VIA A LCL; STORED FLT PLAN. NDZ DID NOT ACTIVATE THIS FLT PLAN WITH US; IN FACT; THEY ASKED US ON THE LAND LINE IF THEY COULD ASSIGN HIM A VFR SQUAWK FOR PRACTICE APCHS. WE CONFIRMED THIS BY LISTENING TO THE TAPE. I DON'T KNOW IF THE PROB IS WITH NDZ TWR; BASE OPS; OR THE PLT; BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THEY (AND WE) ALL NEED TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT AN ACFT IS VFR OR IFR.