SMA HELI APCHED AN ATA; UNDER THE CTL OF RADAR CTLR; AND COORD WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED IN A TIMELY MANNER. EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN BY MTR IN ATA.

Narrative

ON 9/WED/88 I WAS WORKING THE E COORDINATOR POS IN SAC TRACON. AT XA08Z EXECUTIVE TWR ADVISED ME THAT A HELI (SMA X) WAS DEPARTING AND PROCEEDING NE BOUND TOWARDS MATHER AFB. I THEN GOT INVOLVED IN A SEARCH FOR A FLT PLAN FOR ANOTHER ACFT AT ANOTHER ARPT. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO RETURN MY ATTN BACK TO WHAT THE RADAR CTLR WAS DOING SMA X HAD ENTERED INTO THE MATHER AFB ATA. I CALLED THE TWR TO GIVE THEM THE INFO ON THE HELI AND THE HELI THEN CONTACTED MATHER CTL TWR. I FEW MINS LATER MTR Y IN THE VFR PATTERN AT MATHER RPTED TAKING EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID A CIVILIAN HELI. MATHER TWR MAINTAINS THAT DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE ENTERED THEIR ATA W/O PERMISSION THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE SEP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE FOLLOWUP INVESTIGATION PLACED THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE POSSIBLE SYS DEVIATION ON BOTH THE RADAR COORDINATOR (RPTR) AND THE RADAR CTLR. WHEN THE NTAP FROM ZOA WAS RECEIVED; IT WAS LEARNED THAT THE HELI DID NOT ACTUALLY ENTER THE ATA BEFORE REPORTER TOLD MHR TWR ABOUT THE ACFT. THE NEAR NMAC OCCURRED OUTSIDE OF AND ON THE EDGE OF THE ATA. THE INCIDENT IS STILL CLASSIFIED AS A DEVIATION UNTIL THE FINDINGS ARE EXAMINED BY THE REG OFF AND A DETERMINATION IS MADE TO DOWNGRADE THE INCIDENT TO A NON ERROR INCIDENT. THE REASON WHY THIS GOT TO THE INCIDENT STAGE IS THE FACT THAT THE LETTER OF AGREEMENT BTWN SAC TWR; MCC TRACON AND MHR TWR SPECIFIES THAT MCC WITH BE THE CTLING FAC IN ALL INTERARPT FLTS AND MCC IS RESPONSIBLE TO COORDINATE ALL THE MOVEMENTS BTWN ARPTS.