A B737-800 flight crew is queried by ATC as to their route as controller has to issue a descent clearance to air carrier Y who is opposite direction same altitude traffic in control sector of ZHU, tx.

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Attributes
ACN	456420
Time
Date	199912
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
State Reference	TX
Altitude	msl single value : 22000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zhu.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Route In Use	enroute : direct
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zhu.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Route In Use	enroute : direct
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 27300 flight time type : 10000
ASRS Report	456420
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : multi engine pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne less severe inflight encounter : weather non adherence : required legal separation other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued advisory controller : separated traffic controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Miss Distance	horizontal : 18000 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error Intra Facility Coordination Failure

Narrative:

ATC out of the iah area was heavily saturated due to reroutes, WX, etc. We were rerouted on a trip from iah to pvr. Normally we would go the psx J29 route over mty, flight plan route. But again due to WX and traffic we were sent direct idu direct cwk direct mty flight plan route. We made our turn sbound at cwk to mty. About 40 mi south, ZHU asked where we were going and I read back our clearance to him. He did not know we had been cleared to do that. I don't know where he thought our destination was, but he said he thought we were going to proceed on west towards jct with all the other traffic. According to him, he was not informed of our cleared route by the previous sector. So when we turned south towards mty 'as cleared' it put us in a potential conflict with an oncoming air carrier Y (a B737) at our altitude, FL220. Air carrier Y was cleared to descend expeditiously to FL210 and we were told to turn right to a 310 degree heading. This avoided the conflict and TCASII did not give a TA or RA. The problem seems to have come from a lack of communication between various ATC sectors. Or in other words, the l-hand not knowing what the r-hand was doing.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-800 FLC IS QUERIED BY ATC AS TO THEIR RTE AS CTLR HAS TO ISSUE A DSCNT CLRNC TO ACR Y WHO IS OPPOSITE DIRECTION SAME ALT TFC IN CTL SECTOR OF ZHU, TX.

Narrative: ATC OUT OF THE IAH AREA WAS HEAVILY SATURATED DUE TO REROUTES, WX, ETC. WE WERE REROUTED ON A TRIP FROM IAH TO PVR. NORMALLY WE WOULD GO THE PSX J29 RTE OVER MTY, FLT PLAN RTE. BUT AGAIN DUE TO WX AND TFC WE WERE SENT DIRECT IDU DIRECT CWK DIRECT MTY FLT PLAN RTE. WE MADE OUR TURN SBOUND AT CWK TO MTY. ABOUT 40 MI S, ZHU ASKED WHERE WE WERE GOING AND I READ BACK OUR CLRNC TO HIM. HE DID NOT KNOW WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO DO THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE THOUGHT OUR DEST WAS, BUT HE SAID HE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO PROCEED ON W TOWARDS JCT WITH ALL THE OTHER TFC. ACCORDING TO HIM, HE WAS NOT INFORMED OF OUR CLRED RTE BY THE PREVIOUS SECTOR. SO WHEN WE TURNED S TOWARDS MTY 'AS CLRED' IT PUT US IN A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH AN ONCOMING ACR Y (A B737) AT OUR ALT, FL220. ACR Y WAS CLRED TO DSND EXPEDITIOUSLY TO FL210 AND WE WERE TOLD TO TURN R TO A 310 DEG HDG. THIS AVOIDED THE CONFLICT AND TCASII DID NOT GIVE A TA OR RA. THE PROB SEEMS TO HAVE COME FROM A LACK OF COM BTWN VARIOUS ATC SECTORS. OR IN OTHER WORDS, THE L-HAND NOT KNOWING WHAT THE R-HAND WAS DOING.

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.