FGT CLIMBED THROUGH ASSIGNED ALT AND HAD LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION WITH AN ACR ACFT.

Narrative

THE FLT IN QUESTION WAS FILED AS AN IFR FLT OF A SINGLE FGT X (2 PLACE) FROM SCOTT AFB; IL; TO TYNDALL AFB; FL. THE FLT CLRNC WAS RELAYED FROM SCOTT CLRNC DELIVERY AND COPIED BY ME; THE PIC; PRIOR TO TAXI AT SCOTT. THE CLRNC READ: 'FGT X IS CLRED TO TYNDALL AS FILED; AFTER TKOF RIGHT TURN TO A HDG OF 160 DEGS; CLB TO 2000'; EXPECT FL310; DEP CTL ON 259.1; SQUAWK XXXX.' MY READBACK WAS ACKNOWLEDGED AS CORRECT. WHILE TAXIING; THE ALT CLRNC WAS AMENDED TO 5000'. WHEN AIRBORNE FROM RWY 14; I RPTED TO DEP CTL; CONFIRMED MY CLB TO 5000' AND HDG OF 160 DEGS. DEP CTL ACKNOWLEDGED AND CONFIRMED RADAR CONTACT. AS I APCHED ASSIGNED ALT I WAS CLRED TO 6000' WITH A HDG CHANGE TO 170 DEGS WITH A FREQ CHANGE. UPON RPTING ASSIGNED ALT; I WAS CLRED TO 7000'. WHEN RPTING 7000'; I WAS CLRED TO A HIGHER INTERMEDIATE ALT AND INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT ZKC ON FREQ 291.7. I ACKNOWLEDGED; STARTED A CLB AND CHANGED FREQS. I WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT CENTER ON WHAT I THOUGHT TO BE THE ASSIGNED FREQ. AS I PASSED 8000'; I WAS UNSURE OF THE ASSIGNED ALT; SLOWED MY CLB RATE; RETURNED QUICKLY TO LAST CONTACT FREQ FOR SCOTT DEP CTL; ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH SCOTT; RPTED NO CONTACT WITH ZKC AND ASKED THAT MY LAST ASSIGNED ALT BE CONFIRMED. DEP CTL ACKNOWLEDGED; STATED 8000' AND REPEATED 291.7 FOR CONTACT WITH ZKC. I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED THE ACFT OVER AT 9500' FOR A RAPID DSCNT TO 8000'. THIS TIME THE CORRECT FREQ WAS DIALED IN (291.7) AND VOICE CONTACT WITH ZKC WAS ESTABLISHED. I RPTED LEVEL AT 8000'. THE CTLR ASKED IF I HAD BEEN ABOVE THAT ALT. I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I HAD POPPED UP TO 9700'. THE CTLR ADVISED AN ACR ON ANOTHER FREQ THAT THE CONFLICT IN TFC WAS CAUSED BY PLT ERROR AND HAD THAT ACFT RETURN TO THE DESIRED ROUTING. ZKC THEN ASSIGNED A HIGHER FLT LEVEL AND SUBSEQUENTLY TURNED ME OVER TO MEM FOR FURTHER FLT FOLLOWING AND CONTROL TO DEST. ZME ADVISED THAT I HAD BEEN REQUESTED TO CONTACT ZKC BY PHONE UPON ARR AT TYNDALL AND PROVIDED THE PHONE NUMBER. I COMPLIED WITH THE REQUEST AND SPOKE TO A SUPVR BY CAR PHONE FROM PLANE SIDE. ALL FURTHER RPTING OF THIS OCCURRENCE IS AS A RESULT OF THAT CONVERSATION AND THAT WITH THE QAP MGR ALSO OF ZKC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 93746: THE NUMBERS ALL RAN TOGETHER IN MY MIND. THE FRONT SEAT PLT FLYING THE FGT X INITIALLY MISDIALED THE FREQ AS WE BEGAN THE CLB. HE WENT BACK TO APCH WHILE I TRIED TO FIND THE CENTER FREQ I'D WRITTEN DOWN. WE HAD A SHORT DISCUSSION OVER THE ALT ASSIGNED AND DECIDED TO ASK CENTER AS SOON AS WE CHKED IN ON THE PROPER FREQ. LATER ANALYSIS; ACCORDING TO THE FAA; SHOWED US AT 4.593 MI HORIZ SEP AND 500' VERT FROM THE OTHER ACFT. WHILE WE CAN'T DENY OUR OBVIOUS HUMAN ERROR; SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED. AS FGT PLTS; WE WERE BOTH UNACCUSTOMED TO SUCH A SHALLOW DEP PROFILE WITH ITS NUMEROUS INCREMENTAL ALT CHANGES. OUR MINIMUM TECH ORDER CLB SPD IS 350 KTS; WHICH YIELDS A 20 DEG CLB ANGLE AT MIL PWR. IN FULL AFTERBURNER THE FGT COULD HAVE LEVELED AT OUR FILED ALT OF FL310 ABOUT 1 MIN AFTER BRAKE RELEASE. PERHAPS WE SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO COORDINATE A MORE COMPATIBLE CLBOUT WITH FEWER FREQ CHANGES AND INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OFFS.