Narrative:

The error occurred in the mol intermediate sector at ZDC. Mol is mainly a departure sector for traffic departing the washington metropolitan area. On this shift, there was a line of WX from the middle of lake erie to alabama with thunderstorms. The worst of the WX was occurring in the ohio valley area. The tmu rerted all departures from the dca area that normally would have departed to the northwest to the south through the mol sector. All of the rerted aircraft were being cleared over mol-psk-vxv and then turning to the north on the back side of the WX system. Although tmu had rerted many aircraft to the mol sector, they did not put out any speed or in-trail restrs to the approach controls. The aircraft were departing as fast as they would if the situation were normal. The radar controller at mol advised dca approach that he wanted all aircraft at 250 KTS at handoff time. Aircraft X departed dca, destination cvg. Aircraft Y was inbound to mol on J24, landing orf. Our procedure with orf arrs is that they have to be handed off to the next sector at FL210. The timing was that air carrier Y and air carrier X were going to pass about 15 mi or so west of mol had air carrier X been routed over psk. The radar controller descended air carrier Y to FL240 when he was about 25 mi west of mol in order to get him under an aircraft that was following air carrier X and just leaving FL250. Air carrier X was at FL240 and when he made the 30 degree turn toward bkw, it put him within about 3 - 4 mi of the eastbound descending air carrier Y. The separation was 3.5 mi laterally and 600 ft vertically. Due to the large number of flight progress strips being generated, it was very difficult to get the strips into the active bay in a timely manner. When the radar controller can't easily find a strip on an aircraft that is being handed off to him, he can do a 'flight plan readout' on his 'computer readout device.' however, it only offers 2 lines for the information to be displayed and since more than 1/2 of the departures had unusual rtes, they were displayed on the crd in addition to the filed route. The radar controller in fact did a flight plan readout on air carrier X and the last fix listed was mol. So it was assumed that air carrier X was proceeding mol to psk just like everyone else. Due to the fact that the departure strips were put in the bays in no particular order forced me to look at each strip until I found the call sign of the departing aircraft. Considering that the departure controllers were launching an aircraft from one of the 4 major airports every 15-20 seconds makes you realize how many aircraft went through our sector over that period of time. Toward the end of the shift we got some extra people to assist in organizing the departure strips and assisting the radar controller. Everyone was staying on the sectors between 1-2 hours at a time, so no help was readily available. We probably should have had some overtime called in, but that's easy to say after the fact. The more aircraft in the sector means more attention is required and to maintain that kind of concentration over an extended period of time is very exhausting.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZDC CTLR'S ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE WX DIVERSION ROUTINGS, BUT 2 ACR'S CONFLICT WHILE IN DSCNT.

Narrative: THE ERROR OCCURRED IN THE MOL INTERMEDIATE SECTOR AT ZDC. MOL IS MAINLY A DEP SECTOR FOR TFC DEPARTING THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA. ON THIS SHIFT, THERE WAS A LINE OF WX FROM THE MIDDLE OF LAKE ERIE TO ALABAMA WITH TSTMS. THE WORST OF THE WX WAS OCCURRING IN THE OHIO VALLEY AREA. THE TMU RERTED ALL DEPS FROM THE DCA AREA THAT NORMALLY WOULD HAVE DEPARTED TO THE NW TO THE S THROUGH THE MOL SECTOR. ALL OF THE RERTED ACFT WERE BEING CLRED OVER MOL-PSK-VXV AND THEN TURNING TO THE N ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE WX SYS. ALTHOUGH TMU HAD RERTED MANY ACFT TO THE MOL SECTOR, THEY DID NOT PUT OUT ANY SPD OR IN-TRAIL RESTRS TO THE APCH CTLS. THE ACFT WERE DEPARTING AS FAST AS THEY WOULD IF THE SIT WERE NORMAL. THE RADAR CTLR AT MOL ADVISED DCA APCH THAT HE WANTED ALL ACFT AT 250 KTS AT HDOF TIME. ACFT X DEPARTED DCA, DEST CVG. ACFT Y WAS INBOUND TO MOL ON J24, LNDG ORF. OUR PROC WITH ORF ARRS IS THAT THEY HAVE TO BE HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT SECTOR AT FL210. THE TIMING WAS THAT ACR Y AND ACR X WERE GOING TO PASS ABOUT 15 MI OR SO W OF MOL HAD ACR X BEEN ROUTED OVER PSK. THE RADAR CTLR DSNDED ACR Y TO FL240 WHEN HE WAS ABOUT 25 MI W OF MOL IN ORDER TO GET HIM UNDER AN ACFT THAT WAS FOLLOWING ACR X AND JUST LEAVING FL250. ACR X WAS AT FL240 AND WHEN HE MADE THE 30 DEG TURN TOWARD BKW, IT PUT HIM WITHIN ABOUT 3 - 4 MI OF THE EBOUND DSNDING ACR Y. THE SEPARATION WAS 3.5 MI LATERALLY AND 600 FT VERTLY. DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF FLT PROGRESS STRIPS BEING GENERATED, IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THE STRIPS INTO THE ACTIVE BAY IN A TIMELY MANNER. WHEN THE RADAR CTLR CAN'T EASILY FIND A STRIP ON AN ACFT THAT IS BEING HANDED OFF TO HIM, HE CAN DO A 'FLT PLAN READOUT' ON HIS 'COMPUTER READOUT DEVICE.' HOWEVER, IT ONLY OFFERS 2 LINES FOR THE INFO TO BE DISPLAYED AND SINCE MORE THAN 1/2 OF THE DEPS HAD UNUSUAL RTES, THEY WERE DISPLAYED ON THE CRD IN ADDITION TO THE FILED RTE. THE RADAR CTLR IN FACT DID A FLT PLAN READOUT ON ACR X AND THE LAST FIX LISTED WAS MOL. SO IT WAS ASSUMED THAT ACR X WAS PROCEEDING MOL TO PSK JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE DEP STRIPS WERE PUT IN THE BAYS IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER FORCED ME TO LOOK AT EACH STRIP UNTIL I FOUND THE CALL SIGN OF THE DEPARTING ACFT. CONSIDERING THAT THE DEP CTLRS WERE LAUNCHING AN ACFT FROM ONE OF THE 4 MAJOR ARPTS EVERY 15-20 SECONDS MAKES YOU REALIZE HOW MANY ACFT WENT THROUGH OUR SECTOR OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME. TOWARD THE END OF THE SHIFT WE GOT SOME EXTRA PEOPLE TO ASSIST IN ORGANIZING THE DEP STRIPS AND ASSISTING THE RADAR CTLR. EVERYONE WAS STAYING ON THE SECTORS BTWN 1-2 HRS AT A TIME, SO NO HELP WAS READILY AVAILABLE. WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE HAD SOME OVERTIME CALLED IN, BUT THAT'S EASY TO SAY AFTER THE FACT. THE MORE ACFT IN THE SECTOR MEANS MORE ATTN IS REQUIRED AND TO MAINTAIN THAT KIND OF CONCENTRATION OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME IS VERY EXHAUSTING.

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.