ZHU CONTROLLER DESCRIBED SUSPECTED OPERATIONAL DEVIATION EVENT WHEN AIRCRAFT WAS EITHER GIVEN THE WRONG CENTER FREQUENCY AND/OR SWITCHED TO THE INCORRECT FREQUENCY; ALL LEADING TO SUSPECTED AIRSPACE VIOLATION.

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I WAS WORKING THE N ENRTE DEP SECTOR ON THIS NIGHT. MY SECTOR OWNS FL230 AND BELOW N OF THE HOUSTON; TX TERMINAL AREA (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE APCH CTL AIRSPACE THAT COVERS THE S SIDE OF MY SECTOR 15000 FT AND BELOW). ACR X1 CHKS ON MY FREQ LEAVING 14400 FT FOR 15000 FT. I DO NOT KNOW THIS ACFT BECAUSE HE IS ACTUALLY SWITCHED TO MY FREQ IN ERROR BY THE I90 APCH CTLR. THIS ACFT SHOULD BE TALKING TO THE WBOUND ENRTE SECTOR. I DO NOT NOTICE THE FULL CALL SIGN OR ALT BECAUSE I AM CONSUMED WITH MANY OF THE OTHER DETAILS AND DUTIES OF MY SECTOR AT THE TIME OF HIS CHK-IN. I AM HOWEVER WAITING ON THE CHK IN OF A NBOUND DEP WITH THE CALL SIGN OF ACR X2 WHO IS OUT OF APPROX 8500 FT AT THE TIME OF THIS CALL. I TAKE NORMAL ACTION TO CLB ACR X2 TO FL230 AT 280 KTS TO SEE IF IT WAS HIM WHO CALLED. THE PLT ANSWERS BACK; 'FL230 AND 280 KTS ACR X1.' AS I AM LISTENING TO HIS READBACK; I AM ALSO SCANNING AROUND MY SECTOR FOR MY NEXT MOVE OR 3 AND EXACTLY 4 SECONDS AFTER HEARING HIS CALL SIGN THIS TIME WITH NO TALKING INBTWN; I THINK SOMETHING SOUNDED WRONG SO I SAY: 'THAT WAS ACR X2 CORRECT?' AND GET NO REPLY. I THEN IMMEDIATELY SAY; 'CONFIRM THAT CALL SIGN CLBING TO 23000 AT 280 KTS WAS ACR X2?' THE PLT KEYS UP AND SAYS; 'UUH; ACR X1.' I KEY UP AND SAY; 'OK; ACR X1 DISREGARD MY LAST CLRNC AND IDENT FOR ME; WHAT WERE YOU CLBING TO PREVIOUSLY FIFTEEN?' HE RESPONDS 'AH YES SIR WE'RE UP TO ONE FIVE THOUSAND.' I THEN HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT HE IS STILL IN HIS ORIGINAL CLB PROFILE TO 15000 AND SAY; 'OK; MAINTAIN ONE FIVE THOUSAND ACR X1 CALLING HOUSTON CTR; YOU'RE ON THE WRONG FREQ.' I THEN BEGIN A FAST SEARCH AROUND THE SECTOR TO THE W OF ME TO SEE WHERE THIS ACFT IS AT. I INITIATE A 'QUICK-LOOK' FEATURE WHICH ALLOWS ME TO LOOK AT ALL OF THE W DEP TFC AND SEE THE ACR X1 AND CAN TELL HE IS SEPARATED SAFELY FROM ALL ACFT. I ALSO NOTICE THAT HE IS ABOVE THE ALT THAT HE TOLD ME HE WAS 'WE'RE UP TO 15000' AS THE PLT CALLS ME UP AND SAYS; 'WE'RE OUT OF 16000 FOR 15000 ACR X1.' I DID NOT PROCESS HIS LAST COM BUT WAS ALREADY IN THE PROCESS OF DIALING THE SECTOR TO THE W OF ME TO ALERT THEM OF THE ENCROACHMENT SAYING; 'HEY 80; ACR X1 TOOK A WRONG CLRNC; HE'S CLBING TO TWENTY THREE IT LOOKS CLEAN IS THAT RIGHT?' THE OTHER CTLR CONFIRMED THAT WITH ME AND WE FELT THAT WE SAVED THIS PLT FROM A VERY HUGE ERROR SINCE HE READ BACK A CLRNC FOR ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT. I THEN SWITCHED THE ACFT TO THE APPROPRIATE CTLR AND MOVED ON WITH WORKING THE PLANES IN MY SECTOR AGAIN. THIS WAS A HUGE DISTR FOR ME BUT I REGAINED MY COMPOSURE; INFORMED MY SUPVR THAT I THINK WE JUST HAD A PLTDEV AND CONTINUED TO WORK TFC FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. 2 NIGHTS LATER; I WAS INFORMED THAT I WAS BEING CHARGED WITH AN AIRSPACE DEV BECAUSE OUR QA DEPT FEELS THAT BY ME SAYING; 'MAINTAIN ONE FIVE THOUSAND' I GAVE HIM A CLRNC TO DSND. THE FACT IS THAT THE PLT TOLD ME THAT 'WE'RE UP TO ONE FIVE THOUSAND' WHICH MEANS SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT IN THE WORLD OF ATC...SO I SIMPLY RESTATED HIS PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED ALT. OUR QA DEPT FEELS THAT THEY HAVE NO WAY OF NOT SUBMITTING THIS AS A CTLR DEV INSTEAD OF PURELY AS A PLTDEV DUE TO A BAD READBACK AT FIRST AND THEN A POORLY CHOSEN SET OF WORDS LATER. I COULD NOT SEE THIS ACFT THE ENTIRE TIME UP UNTIL 3 SECONDS PRIOR TO COORDINATING WITH THE RECEIVING SECTOR 80 JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT LIFE AND LIMB WAS PROTECTED FIRST. SAFETY WAS IN QUESTION AND THEREFORE THE TOP PRIORITY. I AM NOT EDUCATED ON NOR FAMILIAR WITH THE APCH CTL BOUNDARIES TO THE W OF MY AIRSPACE BECAUSE IT IS NOT A NORMAL PART OF MY JOB DUTIES TO KNOW THAT AIRSPACE OR THE NAME OF THE SECTOR WORKING THE APCH CTL ON THAT SIDE OF HOUSTON. EVEN IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN TO CALL HIM TO TELL HIM THE ACR X WAS DSNDING; I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN HOW TO CALL HIM OR WHAT TO CALL HIM TO GET HIS ATTN ON THE SHOUT LINE. MY ENTIRE MGMNT STAFF AT ZHU TO INCLUDE NUMEROUS OUTSIDE FRONT LINE MGRS; OUR QA DEPT AND OPS MGRS DO NOT HAVE ISSUE WITH WHAT I DID BECAUSE IT WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST CHOICE FOR THIS IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION. BY THE TIME THE ACR X1 TELLS ME HIS REAL ALT AT THE END; HE TELLS ME HE IS OUT OF 16000 FT FOR 15000 FT WHICH IS ALREADY IN VIOLATION OF THE APCH CTL AIRSPACE SINCE HE HAS CLBED OUT OF IT AND NOW IS DSNDING BACK INTO IT. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I COULD DO AT ANY TIME IN ORDER TO AVOID THE AIRSPACE DEV.