ACR-MLG GIVEN DESCENT THROUGH ALT OF OPPOSITE DIRECTION ACR-MLG RESULTING IN LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION.
Synopsis
ACR-MLG GIVEN DESCENT THROUGH ALT OF OPPOSITE DIRECTION ACR-MLG RESULTING IN LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION.
Narrative
I WAS WORKING AS CIC. AT ZZ50 I RELIEVED THE R49 POS FOR A PHONE CALL. MLG X; SBND REQUESTED A DSCNT FROM FL310 DUE TO TURB. I GAVE MLG X DSCNT CLRNC TO FL260 AT APPROX ZZ52Z. MLG Y WAS TFC POINTED OUT NBOUND ON J53 AT FL290. C/A ACTIVATED WITH MLG X OUT OF APPROX FL304 DSNDING MLG X WAS GIVEN CLB TO FL310. MLG Y (WHO WAS ON ZTL FREQ) WAS TOLD TO TURN RIGHT HDG 090 DEGS AT APPROX ZZ53. I RECEIVED AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GOT IT. THE MODE C THEN SHOWED MLG X ALMOST TO FL290. I THEN ISSUED DSCNT CLRNC TO FL260. I ATTEMPTED TO CALL TFC TO MLG X BUT THERE WERE DATA BLOCK JUMPS THAT CONFUSED THE ATTEMPTED TFC CALL. AFTER REVIEWING THE TAPES AND COMPUTER PRINTOUT IT APPEARED THAT MLG X TOOK THE 090 DEG HDG AND SEP WAS DECREASING RATHER THAN INCREASING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR; A CTLR; WAS ASSIGNED AS ACTING AREA SUPVR AND HAD JUST RELIEVED THE CTLR FOR A TELEPHONE CALL. DURING A SHORT POS RELIEF BRIEFING; THE RELIEVED CTLR MENTIONED MLG Y AS BEING NEAR THE SECTOR BOUNDARY AND AS A POINTOUT FROM ZTL. RPTR ADMITTED THAT HE FORGOT ABOUT THAT ACFT (MLG Y) WHEN GAVE MLG X A DSCNT CLRNC FROM FL310 TO FL260 AND THROUGH THE ALT OF MLG Y AT FL290. NOT UNTIL THE C/A SOUNDED DID RPTR REMEMBER ABOUT THE POINTOUT ACFT. HIS REMEDY WAS TO TURN MLG Y (WHO WAS NOT ON HIS FREQ). WHEN THE TURN WAS GIVEN; MLG X RESPONDED; 'GOT IT.' THE TURN GIVEN TO MLG Y WAS 180 DEGS FROM THE EVASIVE TURN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO MLG X. BY THE TIME RPTR SAW THE EFFECTS OF THE TURN BY THE WRONG ACFT; IT WAS TOO LATE TO SAVE THE SEP. AN OPERROR WAS PROCESSED WITH NO PLT INVOLVEMENT BECAUSE ZJX QA SAID THAT IT COULD NOT BE PROVEN THAT MLG X TOOK A TURN GIVEN TO ANOTHER ACFT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.