Narrative:

Aircraft #1 was a pointout transiting my sector northeast to southwest just west of ykm, crossing the chins 2 arrival to sea. There were numerous aircraft on the chins 2 arrival coming from both high altitude sector 47 and low altitude sector 9. Aircraft #1 data block was obscured by other data blocks. A clearance was issued to aircraft #2 to descend to FL210 through aircraft #1. Conflict alert never went off. I realized my mistake too late to avoid the error. I did see the traffic, but took action too late. Where aircraft #1 was positioned, I should have been talking to the aircraft rather than just having a pointout. If conflict alert had functioned properly, the error might have been avoided.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ARTCC RADAR CTLR TAKES A RADAR POINTOUT ON AN SMT ACFT, AT CRUISE, THROUGH HIS AIRSPACE. THE SMT FLIES THROUGH A STAR RTE WHICH THE CTLR IS WORKING. THE CTLR FORGETS ABOUT THE SMT AND CLRS AN ACR ACFT THROUGH HIS ASSIGNED ALT, IN CONFLICT WITH THE SMT. CTLR BELIEVES THAT SINCE CONFLICT ALERT DID NOT ACTIVATE BEFORE THE INCIDENT, ONLY DURING, THAT CONFLICT ALERT WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AND SHOULD HAVE SAVED THE ERROR.

Narrative: ACFT #1 WAS A POINTOUT TRANSITING MY SECTOR NE TO SW JUST W OF YKM, XING THE CHINS 2 ARR TO SEA. THERE WERE NUMEROUS ACFT ON THE CHINS 2 ARR COMING FROM BOTH HIGH ALT SECTOR 47 AND LOW ALT SECTOR 9. ACFT #1 DATA BLOCK WAS OBSCURED BY OTHER DATA BLOCKS. A CLRNC WAS ISSUED TO ACFT #2 TO DSND TO FL210 THROUGH ACFT #1. CONFLICT ALERT NEVER WENT OFF. I REALIZED MY MISTAKE TOO LATE TO AVOID THE ERROR. I DID SEE THE TFC, BUT TOOK ACTION TOO LATE. WHERE ACFT #1 WAS POSITIONED, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THE ACFT RATHER THAN JUST HAVING A POINTOUT. IF CONFLICT ALERT HAD FUNCTIONED PROPERLY, THE ERROR MIGHT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.

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.