MLT DIDN'T AUTO ACQUIRE ON ARTCC RADAR AND CTLR FORGOT ABOUT THE ACFT. CTLR RELIEVED AND MLT HAD LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION IN BWI AIRSPACE WITH AN SMT.

Narrative

THIS EVENT INVOLVED A DEP FROM HGR AND CLRED TO CLB TO 5000'. THE FLT CONTACTED ZDC AND WAS ADVISED TO MAINTAIN THE ASSIGNED ALT. I INTENDED TO WAIT FOR AUTOMATIC COMPUTER ACQUISITION OF THE TRACK AND IN FACT THIS DID NOT TAKE PLACE. I BECAME DISTRACTED FOR REASONS I DO NOT RECALL AT THIS TIME AND DID NOT START A TRACK ON THE ACFT; WHICH CONTINUED ON COURSE AND LATER BECAME INVOLVED WITH TFC IN THE BWI APCH CTL AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: TYPE ACFT INVOLVED WAS AN MLT AND AN SMT AT SAME ALT NEAR BAL. RPTR HAD BEEN WORKING A COMBINED POS OPERATION AND WAS GIVING A RELIEF BRIEFING TO ANOTHER CTLR AND FORGOT TO MANUALLY START A TRACK ON THE MLT. TFC VOL WAS LIGHT. THIS AREA VERY SHORT OF PERSONNEL AND RPTR HAD REQUESTED ANNUAL LEAVE; BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET IT. PERSONAL PROBS HAD WEIGHED HEAVILY ON THE RPTR AND HE ADMITTED HE WAS NOT CONCENTRATING ON THE JOB OF CTLING TFC. SYS ERROR OCCURRED IN BWI APCH AIRSPACE AFTER THE RPTR HAD BEEN RELIEVED AND HAD LEFT THE POS.