Narrative:

Ski country airports very busy with departure and arrs. Sector 11 and sector 12 decombined. WX VFR most of sector and marginal the north part of sector with frequency congestion at all times. Controller also had computer problems because the parameters in the system had been changed so that flight plans would drop from the computer at 2 hours instead of the normal 3 hours because of the influx of traffic over the holidays. All beacon codes were stored or in use causing dual computer entries to request new codes, thus further increasing workload. Without flight plans and codes for aircraft, the situation was dismal at best. Along with computer problems, equipment problem were abundant. The spearer malfunctioned at the nonradar position with a jackhammer type noise emitting loudly from the speaker and controller lost use of hotline to ege tower. Experimental equipment had been placed in facility for communication help but had not yet been certified for use. This caused the sector confign to be very user unfriendly. Radar controller and third radar controller confused on how to select frequencys and coordinate information. Another equipment problem that should be focused upon is the fact that dbl radar had been incorrectly certified and therefore was shut off, making the area of ege, ase, and ric an area of nonradar coverage below 15000 ft MSL. The aforementioned were all known or found problems. For unknown reasons, aspen departure messages were not being forwarded from ase computer system to ZDV computer system. This was extremely confusing because we ZDV controllers did not know when ase departures were coming to us. During all of this chaos and many IFR operations, the 2 other controllers on this position did a remarkable job of keeping up with the traffic flow and effectively providing a service to all aircraft. After I departed the sector for a break, an aircraft was issued a clearance and never radar idented. This aircraft apparently deviated into 2 other sectors without prior coordination. This airspace was too busy for the conditions existing and I feel these contributing factors were causal in this operational deviation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ARTCC OPDEV CAUSED BY EQUIP MALFUNCTION AND CTLR WORKLOAD.

Narrative: SKI COUNTRY ARPTS VERY BUSY WITH DEP AND ARRS. SECTOR 11 AND SECTOR 12 DECOMBINED. WX VFR MOST OF SECTOR AND MARGINAL THE N PART OF SECTOR WITH FREQ CONGESTION AT ALL TIMES. CTLR ALSO HAD COMPUTER PROBS BECAUSE THE PARAMETERS IN THE SYS HAD BEEN CHANGED SO THAT FLT PLANS WOULD DROP FROM THE COMPUTER AT 2 HRS INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL 3 HRS BECAUSE OF THE INFLUX OF TFC OVER THE HOLIDAYS. ALL BEACON CODES WERE STORED OR IN USE CAUSING DUAL COMPUTER ENTRIES TO REQUEST NEW CODES, THUS FURTHER INCREASING WORKLOAD. WITHOUT FLT PLANS AND CODES FOR ACFT, THE SIT WAS DISMAL AT BEST. ALONG WITH COMPUTER PROBS, EQUIP PROB WERE ABUNDANT. THE SPEARER MALFUNCTIONED AT THE NONRADAR POS WITH A JACKHAMMER TYPE NOISE EMITTING LOUDLY FROM THE SPEAKER AND CTLR LOST USE OF HOTLINE TO EGE TWR. EXPERIMENTAL EQUIP HAD BEEN PLACED IN FACILITY FOR COM HELP BUT HAD NOT YET BEEN CERTIFIED FOR USE. THIS CAUSED THE SECTOR CONFIGN TO BE VERY USER UNFRIENDLY. RADAR CTLR AND THIRD RADAR CTLR CONFUSED ON HOW TO SELECT FREQS AND COORDINATE INFO. ANOTHER EQUIP PROB THAT SHOULD BE FOCUSED UPON IS THE FACT THAT DBL RADAR HAD BEEN INCORRECTLY CERTIFIED AND THEREFORE WAS SHUT OFF, MAKING THE AREA OF EGE, ASE, AND RIC AN AREA OF NONRADAR COVERAGE BELOW 15000 FT MSL. THE AFOREMENTIONED WERE ALL KNOWN OR FOUND PROBS. FOR UNKNOWN REASONS, ASPEN DEP MESSAGES WERE NOT BEING FORWARDED FROM ASE COMPUTER SYS TO ZDV COMPUTER SYS. THIS WAS EXTREMELY CONFUSING BECAUSE WE ZDV CTLRS DID NOT KNOW WHEN ASE DEPS WERE COMING TO US. DURING ALL OF THIS CHAOS AND MANY IFR OPS, THE 2 OTHER CTLRS ON THIS POS DID A REMARKABLE JOB OF KEEPING UP WITH THE TFC FLOW AND EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING A SVC TO ALL ACFT. AFTER I DEPARTED THE SECTOR FOR A BREAK, AN ACFT WAS ISSUED A CLRNC AND NEVER RADAR IDENTED. THIS ACFT APPARENTLY DEVIATED INTO 2 OTHER SECTORS WITHOUT PRIOR COORD. THIS AIRSPACE WAS TOO BUSY FOR THE CONDITIONS EXISTING AND I FEEL THESE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE CAUSAL IN THIS OPDEV.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.