Narrative:

I was working moderate to heavy traffic continually for little more than an hour. I was starting to get tired and was being distracted by numerous other tasks. Including leaving my radar scope to pass along strips to another scope, were a few of the distrs at the time, along with having to spin an aircraft due to allentown approach not accepting a handoff. The C/a alarmed and I immediately turned the 2 aircraft in conflict. Sep had decreased to about 1.5 mi at closest point. Some contributing factors were that the position was combined with a span of control being about 50 mi. No handoff person was assigned to the position. The error occurred during a shift change and the noise level had increase dramatically. The final factor was the route the light transport commuter was on. It's a low level route that is used to get the traffic from abe airspace to lga, jfk, hpn, isp and satellites. This route goes opp direction to the flow of traffic, and enters metropolitan position's airspace at 5000' and must leave at 4000'. Most all the traffic that either enters or leaves metropolitan position is at 4000'. This has been the fifth system error at the same place, involving the same overflt traffic. We had made recommendations to change the route last november, but nothing has come of it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LTT CAME IN CLOSE PROX TO AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION SMT AT THE SAME ALT.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING MODERATE TO HVY TFC CONTINUALLY FOR LITTLE MORE THAN AN HOUR. I WAS STARTING TO GET TIRED AND WAS BEING DISTRACTED BY NUMEROUS OTHER TASKS. INCLUDING LEAVING MY RADAR SCOPE TO PASS ALONG STRIPS TO ANOTHER SCOPE, WERE A FEW OF THE DISTRS AT THE TIME, ALONG WITH HAVING TO SPIN AN ACFT DUE TO ALLENTOWN APCH NOT ACCEPTING A HDOF. THE C/A ALARMED AND I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE 2 ACFT IN CONFLICT. SEP HAD DECREASED TO ABOUT 1.5 MI AT CLOSEST POINT. SOME CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THAT THE POS WAS COMBINED WITH A SPAN OF CTL BEING ABOUT 50 MI. NO HDOF PERSON WAS ASSIGNED TO THE POS. THE ERROR OCCURRED DURING A SHIFT CHANGE AND THE NOISE LEVEL HAD INCREASE DRAMATICALLY. THE FINAL FACTOR WAS THE ROUTE THE LTT COMMUTER WAS ON. IT'S A LOW LEVEL ROUTE THAT IS USED TO GET THE TFC FROM ABE AIRSPACE TO LGA, JFK, HPN, ISP AND SATELLITES. THIS ROUTE GOES OPP DIRECTION TO THE FLOW OF TFC, AND ENTERS METRO POS'S AIRSPACE AT 5000' AND MUST LEAVE AT 4000'. MOST ALL THE TFC THAT EITHER ENTERS OR LEAVES METRO POS IS AT 4000'. THIS HAS BEEN THE FIFTH SYS ERROR AT THE SAME PLACE, INVOLVING THE SAME OVERFLT TFC. WE HAD MADE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CHANGE THE ROUTE LAST NOVEMBER, BUT NOTHING HAS COME OF IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.