Narrative:

I was working a combined south arrival/departure sector at portland TRACON (P80). Pdx tower departed an air carrier DH8A off runway 28L on a 260 degree heading per local diverging departure procedures. Aircraft departing pdx must be above 3000 ft in this area before a turn can be issued due to terrain. The DH8 was climbing slower than normal but not slower than expected for this model dash on a hot day. The controller working the adjacent sector (newberg) released an LR35 off of hio runway 30 on a canby 6 departure climbing to 3000 ft. The newberg sector owns 4000 ft and below in that area and the standard release altitude for that departure procedure is 4000 ft, although 3000 ft is an available altitude. The airspace this aircraft was released into is known to be an area of poor radar coverage. Radar acquisition of aircraft is generally made at 2500-3000 ft. By the time an aircraft can be radar idented and pointed out/handed off, they are in, or very nearly in, the south departure controller's airspace. This is especially true of high performance aircraft. Since we as controllers don't know how slow/fast the aircraft will climb or how wide the aircraft may turn, it is a common technique among veteran professional controllers to advise the south departure controller (runway 28 flow) and the final controller (runway 10 flow) prior to releasing an aircraft off runway 30 on a canby departure procedure. The air carrier DH8 I was working was approximately 7-8 mi southwest of pdx when they passed 3000 ft. I issued a 'turn left heading 210 degrees' to vector the aircraft to their on course route. While transmitting the vector I noticed an ARTS data tag approximately 3 mi west of the DH8's position converging at 3100 ft so I immediately issued traffic. Assuming the LR35 was climbing to 4000 ft I jumped up out of my chair and physically pointed out the confliction to the other controller. The response I got was, 'yeah, I know that's why I stopped him at 3000 ft.' I went back to my scope and called the traffic once again hoping for a visual spotting. I felt there was no other course of action at this time as the LR35 was on a 110 degree track and the DH8 was on a 210 degree track -- the proverbial t-bone. The DH8 pilot reported (reluctantly) the LR35 aircraft in sight. I called the watch supervisor over and asked her to find out if the LR35 had the DH8 in sight because I couldn't guarantee I had any other form of separation. The newberg controller said the LR35 had the DH8 in sight. In a latter meeting with the newberg controller, it was pointed out that part of his responsibility in applying visual separation is to inform the other aircraft that visual separation is being applied. Since the aircraft was not on his frequency, coordination with the appropriate controller was required. The lack of mandatory internal coordination while using this departure procedure is bad procedure at best. I will work with management to change the way IFR aircraft get released from hio off runway 30 on the canby departure procedure, if at all.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: P80 DEP CTLR OBSERVES ANOTHER P80 CTLING AN LJ35 CONFLICT WITH HIS DHC8 AS INTRAFAC COORD PROCS ARE NOT ENSURED.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING A COMBINED S ARR/DEP SECTOR AT PORTLAND TRACON (P80). PDX TWR DEPARTED AN ACR DH8A OFF RWY 28L ON A 260 DEG HDG PER LCL DIVERGING DEP PROCS. ACFT DEPARTING PDX MUST BE ABOVE 3000 FT IN THIS AREA BEFORE A TURN CAN BE ISSUED DUE TO TERRAIN. THE DH8 WAS CLBING SLOWER THAN NORMAL BUT NOT SLOWER THAN EXPECTED FOR THIS MODEL DASH ON A HOT DAY. THE CTLR WORKING THE ADJACENT SECTOR (NEWBERG) RELEASED AN LR35 OFF OF HIO RWY 30 ON A CANBY 6 DEP CLBING TO 3000 FT. THE NEWBERG SECTOR OWNS 4000 FT AND BELOW IN THAT AREA AND THE STANDARD RELEASE ALT FOR THAT DEP PROC IS 4000 FT, ALTHOUGH 3000 FT IS AN AVAILABLE ALT. THE AIRSPACE THIS ACFT WAS RELEASED INTO IS KNOWN TO BE AN AREA OF POOR RADAR COVERAGE. RADAR ACQUISITION OF ACFT IS GENERALLY MADE AT 2500-3000 FT. BY THE TIME AN ACFT CAN BE RADAR IDENTED AND POINTED OUT/HANDED OFF, THEY ARE IN, OR VERY NEARLY IN, THE S DEP CTLR'S AIRSPACE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE ACFT. SINCE WE AS CTLRS DON'T KNOW HOW SLOW/FAST THE ACFT WILL CLB OR HOW WIDE THE ACFT MAY TURN, IT IS A COMMON TECHNIQUE AMONG VETERAN PROFESSIONAL CTLRS TO ADVISE THE S DEP CTLR (RWY 28 FLOW) AND THE FINAL CTLR (RWY 10 FLOW) PRIOR TO RELEASING AN ACFT OFF RWY 30 ON A CANBY DEP PROC. THE ACR DH8 I WAS WORKING WAS APPROX 7-8 MI SW OF PDX WHEN THEY PASSED 3000 FT. I ISSUED A 'TURN L HDG 210 DEGS' TO VECTOR THE ACFT TO THEIR ON COURSE RTE. WHILE XMITTING THE VECTOR I NOTICED AN ARTS DATA TAG APPROX 3 MI W OF THE DH8'S POS CONVERGING AT 3100 FT SO I IMMEDIATELY ISSUED TFC. ASSUMING THE LR35 WAS CLBING TO 4000 FT I JUMPED UP OUT OF MY CHAIR AND PHYSICALLY POINTED OUT THE CONFLICTION TO THE OTHER CTLR. THE RESPONSE I GOT WAS, 'YEAH, I KNOW THAT'S WHY I STOPPED HIM AT 3000 FT.' I WENT BACK TO MY SCOPE AND CALLED THE TFC ONCE AGAIN HOPING FOR A VISUAL SPOTTING. I FELT THERE WAS NO OTHER COURSE OF ACTION AT THIS TIME AS THE LR35 WAS ON A 110 DEG TRACK AND THE DH8 WAS ON A 210 DEG TRACK -- THE PROVERBIAL T-BONE. THE DH8 PLT RPTED (RELUCTANTLY) THE LR35 ACFT IN SIGHT. I CALLED THE WATCH SUPVR OVER AND ASKED HER TO FIND OUT IF THE LR35 HAD THE DH8 IN SIGHT BECAUSE I COULDN'T GUARANTEE I HAD ANY OTHER FORM OF SEPARATION. THE NEWBERG CTLR SAID THE LR35 HAD THE DH8 IN SIGHT. IN A LATTER MEETING WITH THE NEWBERG CTLR, IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT PART OF HIS RESPONSIBILITY IN APPLYING VISUAL SEPARATION IS TO INFORM THE OTHER ACFT THAT VISUAL SEPARATION IS BEING APPLIED. SINCE THE ACFT WAS NOT ON HIS FREQ, COORD WITH THE APPROPRIATE CTLR WAS REQUIRED. THE LACK OF MANDATORY INTERNAL COORD WHILE USING THIS DEP PROC IS BAD PROC AT BEST. I WILL WORK WITH MGMNT TO CHANGE THE WAY IFR ACFT GET RELEASED FROM HIO OFF RWY 30 ON THE CANBY DEP PROC, IF AT ALL.

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.