APCH CTLR FAILED TO MAKE HANDOFF TO ARTCC ON SMT AND THEN LATER DESCENDED THE ACFT IN ARTCC AIRSPACE CAUSING A LESS THAN STANDARD SITUATION WITH AN SMA.

Narrative

SMT X ON IFR FLT PLAN; WAS MISTAKEN FOR A VFR CALL-UP BY APCH CTL AND WAS GIVEN DSCNT CLRNC; THEN DSNDED TO WITHIN 700' AND 1 1/4 MI OF SMA Y. CTR ALT ALERT AND APCH CTLR DISCOVERED PROB AT SAME TIME. BOTH ACFT HAD BEEN WORKED BY APCH CTL AS IFR OVERFLTS AND HAD LEFT APCH AIRSPACE; SMA Y AHEAD; SLOWER; AND AT 6000'. WHEN SMA X WAS TOLD TO CONTACT CTR; NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WAS RECEIVED (MISTAKE #1) AND APCH CTLR WAS DISTRACTED BY ANOTHER ACFT CALL. 15 MI AND 7 MINUTES LATER; SMT X AT 8000'; CALLED APCH CTL WITH A DSCNT REQUEST. CTLR DIDN'T RECOGNIZE ACFT CALL SIGN AND WROTE A VFR FLT PROGRESS STRIP. AS A VFR CALL-UP; SMT X WAS ASSIGNED A LOW PRIORITY; AND REALIZING CTLR WOULD BE UNABLE TO HANDLE THE ACFT FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES DUE TO OTHER DUTIES; SMT X WAS ADVISED 'ALTS YOUR DISCRETION' (MISTAKE #2). SMT X STARTED DSCNT. WITHIN 2 OR 3 MINUTES AND AFTER SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO THE ACFT; APCH CTLR ASCERTAINED SMT X WAS; IN FACT; IN IFR FLT PLAN AND ADVISED CTR OF THE SITUATION. AT THIS POINT CTR CTLR REALIZED SMT X HAD PENETRATED HIS AIRSPACE 10-15 MI AND DSNDED 1500' INTO SMA Y'S AIRSPACE (ALLOWED TO WANDER OFF THE AIRWAY?]) ALL WITHOUT RADIO CONTACT (MISTAKE #3). CTR 'SNITCH' ALARMED ABOUT THE SAME TIME. NO EVASIVE ACTION REQUIRED AND SMT X WAS CLBED BACK TO 8000'. SEVERAL FACTORS LEAD UP TO THIS DEVIATION; ANY OF WHICH COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT. PLT DIDN'T HEAR FREQ CHANGE; CTLR DIDN'T CONFIRM ACKNOWLEDGEMENT; CTR CTLR DIDN'T OBSERVE SMT X ENTERING HIS AIRSPACE OR DSNDING; CTR CTLR DIDN'T OBSERVE SMA Y OFF-COURSE; APCH CTLR OK'ED DSCNT TO AN UNIDENTIFIED ACFT; AND PLT ACCEPTED 'ALTS YOUR DISCRETION' AS AN IFR DSCNT CLRNC (THE PHRASE IF OFTEN USED FOR VFR OPS; BUT NEVER FOR IFR ACFT. TWO ASIDES: APCH CTLR HAD JUST TAKEN POS SO HAD LITTLE EXPOSURE TO THE ACFT CALL-SIGN; THUS WAS CONFUSED BY THE LATER CALL-UP. AFTER '20 QUESTIONS' BY APCH CTLR; PLT SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION; AND CLARIFIED HIS SITUATION. OFFICIAL ACCOUNTABILITY; BY THE WAY; WENT TO APCH CTLR.