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Controller inadvertently assigned the wrong altitude to the small transport, but the error was not caught until aircraft had passed through 2 other sectors and less than standard separation occurred with an large transport.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 88932 |
| Time | |
| Date | 198806 |
| Day | Tue |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : eno |
| State Reference | DE |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 21600 msl bound upper : 22000 |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zdc |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude |
| Route In Use | enroute airway : zdc |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : radar |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Experience | controller non radar : 1 controller radar : 18 controller supervisory : 8 |
| ASRS Report | 88932 |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : required legal separation |
| Independent Detector | atc equipment other atc equipment : unspecified other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | other |
| Consequence | faa : investigated |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 13500 vertical : 400 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Operational Error |
Narrative:
Small transport X was climbing to flight levels and had to be stepped up through other traffic. Once clear of all traffic in my sector, I climbed small transport X to his requested altitude (I thought so at the time), which was FL210. After listening to tapes I inadvertently climbed him to FL230. Closer observation of data block, flight progress strips, and pilot read back would probably have averted the incident. I was unaware that it occurred because it happened a couple of sectors away and small transport X was a slow climbing aircraft. The supervisor notified me. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter specified type aircraft that sep was lost with as an large transport. Data block showed small transport cleared to FL210 and aircraft handed off to next sector at 17000'. The adjacent sector handed the small transport off to high altitude sector and it wasn't till the small transport busted the data block altitude and had the less than standard separation that the error was detected. Traffic was sighted by both aircraft. Reporter was working a combined position operation under light to moderate conditions, but didn't realize that he had given the small transport the wrong altitude until supervisor told him of conflict.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CTLR INADVERTENTLY ASSIGNED THE WRONG ALT TO THE SMT, BUT THE ERROR WAS NOT CAUGHT UNTIL ACFT HAD PASSED THROUGH 2 OTHER SECTORS AND LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION OCCURRED WITH AN LGT.
Narrative: SMT X WAS CLBING TO FLT LEVELS AND HAD TO BE STEPPED UP THROUGH OTHER TFC. ONCE CLR OF ALL TFC IN MY SECTOR, I CLBED SMT X TO HIS REQUESTED ALT (I THOUGHT SO AT THE TIME), WHICH WAS FL210. AFTER LISTENING TO TAPES I INADVERTENTLY CLBED HIM TO FL230. CLOSER OBSERVATION OF DATA BLOCK, FLT PROGRESS STRIPS, AND PLT READ BACK WOULD PROBABLY HAVE AVERTED THE INCIDENT. I WAS UNAWARE THAT IT OCCURRED BECAUSE IT HAPPENED A COUPLE OF SECTORS AWAY AND SMT X WAS A SLOW CLBING ACFT. THE SUPVR NOTIFIED ME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR SPECIFIED TYPE ACFT THAT SEP WAS LOST WITH AS AN LGT. DATA BLOCK SHOWED SMT CLRED TO FL210 AND ACFT HANDED OFF TO NEXT SECTOR AT 17000'. THE ADJACENT SECTOR HANDED THE SMT OFF TO HIGH ALT SECTOR AND IT WASN'T TILL THE SMT BUSTED THE DATA BLOCK ALT AND HAD THE LTSS THAT THE ERROR WAS DETECTED. TFC WAS SIGHTED BY BOTH ACFT. RPTR WAS WORKING A COMBINED POS OPERATION UNDER LIGHT TO MODERATE CONDITIONS, BUT DIDN'T REALIZE THAT HE HAD GIVEN THE SMT THE WRONG ALT UNTIL SUPVR TOLD HIM OF CONFLICT.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.