NCT Controller described conflict event when SFO Tower departed a Porte and Quiet departure without proper separation requiring an immediate action on the part of the Departure Controller.

Date: 2009-12 · Aircraft: A319 · Phase: initial_climb

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

NCT Controller described conflict event when SFO Tower departed a Porte and Quiet departure without proper separation requiring an immediate action on the part of the Departure Controller.

Narrative

During mid operations at NCT I was working the Sutro sector; which had all the departure sectors combined. I was working with a Coordinator for the departures between SFO and OAK. SFO Tower had automatic releases and OAK Tower was on call for releases. SFO Tower departed a Porte 3 and a Quiet departure simultaneously. At the time the two aircraft were airborne I was working approximately twelve to fifteen aircraft. Complexity was high and traffic volume was high. My Coordinator and myself notice the conflict almost at the same time and I proceeded to turn the Air Carrier Y southbound and issued traffic. The Air Carrier Y turned really good and climbed really good; the aircraft was below the Quiet departure and in the following two updates it was above the conflicting aircraft. At one point I believed the aircraft were at least two miles laterally and at the same altitude. This is not the first time that SFO has done this; they have done it a numerous time in the past and this is something that worries me since I have never had two aircraft this close to each other. I believe that a solution to the problem would be to stop the Quiet departure when there are Porte departures in the mix.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.