Narrative:

This event involved a departure from hgr and cleared to climb to 5000'. The flight contacted ZDC and was advised to maintain the assigned altitude. I intended to wait for automatic computer acquisition of the track and in fact this did not take place. I became distracted for reasons I do not recall at this time and did not start a track on the aircraft, which continued on course and later became involved with traffic in the bwi approach control airspace. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: type aircraft involved was an mlt and an small transport at same altitude near balance. Reporter had been working a combined position operation and was giving a relief briefing to another controller and forgot to manually start a track on the mlt. Traffic vol was light. This area very short of personnel and reporter had requested annual leave, but was unable to get it. Personal problems had weighed heavily on the reporter and he admitted he was not concentrating on the job of controling traffic. System error occurred in bwi approach airspace after the reporter had been relieved and had left the position.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLT DIDN'T AUTO ACQUIRE ON ARTCC RADAR AND CTLR FORGOT ABOUT THE ACFT. CTLR RELIEVED AND MLT HAD LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION IN BWI AIRSPACE WITH AN SMT.

Narrative: THIS EVENT INVOLVED A DEP FROM HGR AND CLRED TO CLB TO 5000'. THE FLT CONTACTED ZDC AND WAS ADVISED TO MAINTAIN THE ASSIGNED ALT. I INTENDED TO WAIT FOR AUTOMATIC COMPUTER ACQUISITION OF THE TRACK AND IN FACT THIS DID NOT TAKE PLACE. I BECAME DISTRACTED FOR REASONS I DO NOT RECALL AT THIS TIME AND DID NOT START A TRACK ON THE ACFT, WHICH CONTINUED ON COURSE AND LATER BECAME INVOLVED WITH TFC IN THE BWI APCH CTL AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: TYPE ACFT INVOLVED WAS AN MLT AND AN SMT AT SAME ALT NEAR BAL. RPTR HAD BEEN WORKING A COMBINED POS OPERATION AND WAS GIVING A RELIEF BRIEFING TO ANOTHER CTLR AND FORGOT TO MANUALLY START A TRACK ON THE MLT. TFC VOL WAS LIGHT. THIS AREA VERY SHORT OF PERSONNEL AND RPTR HAD REQUESTED ANNUAL LEAVE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET IT. PERSONAL PROBS HAD WEIGHED HEAVILY ON THE RPTR AND HE ADMITTED HE WAS NOT CONCENTRATING ON THE JOB OF CTLING TFC. SYS ERROR OCCURRED IN BWI APCH AIRSPACE AFTER THE RPTR HAD BEEN RELIEVED AND HAD LEFT THE POS.

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.