Narrative:

While in cruise and not in radar contact had widebody transport aircraft cross from right to left at same altitude. Aircraft came within approximately 1 1/2 mi. We went through that aircraft's wake approximately 20 seconds later. We were on the fringe of radio coverage with ZBW and were able to contact them right after incident. They thought we were at FL310 and the widebody transport at FL350. Clearance was written down and read back. Somehow miscom had us at FL310. I believe some sort of ATC coordination problem or just someone writing down the wrong flight level could have been the problem. If we were 20-30 seconds earlier we could have had big problems. Also departure controller has mode C readout capability and watched us climb to FL350 while we were in radar contact. No radar at time of incident. Supplemental information from acn 104810: the incident occurred in the far southeast corner of bos ARTCC's airspace that borders ny ARTCC oceanic control airspace. Bos ARTCC's radio and radar coverage are marginal, at best, in this area. We treat traffic as non radar until we identify the aircraft approximately 40 NM inside our boundary. There was heavy non radar traffic wbound on R56 route toward linnd intersection, including a widebody transport at FL350. The flight had called us with a non radar progress at slatw intersection. The trnee controller I was monitoring started a track near a primary target heading wbound. Secondary radar coverage was anticipated approximately 30 NM west of this primary. We then observed another primary target on a converging course northbound, the trnee and I were concurring that this was probably an large transport at FL310 northbound. Both altitudes (of the widebody transport and large transport) were given to us by coordination from the ny ARTCC oceanic controller. I watched the 2 primary targets merge, and very soon after got an initial call from the large transport flight requesting, 'who was that widebody transport traffic we just passed?' we then ascertained that the large transport flight was at FL350 and received the clearance from bermuda control. The altitude change was never passed to us at bos ARTCC. It seems to be increasingly difficult for the manual controller to communicate with the ny oceanic controller. Our phone calls, for coordination, go unanswered for long periods of time, some long enough to warrant our supervisor to contact theirs on a different source to get them to talk to us. Since we couldn't coordinate, we aren't allowed to let an aircraft proceed into oceanic airspace. This problem is becoming more significant than during the past few yrs, and I really don't have any solution to it from my end. It may be occurring between ny and bermuda oceanic control as well.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR-LGT CAME IN CLOSE PROX TO ACR-WDB ON A CONVERGING COURSE AT THE SAME ALT.

Narrative: WHILE IN CRUISE AND NOT IN RADAR CONTACT HAD WDB ACFT CROSS FROM RIGHT TO LEFT AT SAME ALT. ACFT CAME WITHIN APPROX 1 1/2 MI. WE WENT THROUGH THAT ACFT'S WAKE APPROX 20 SECS LATER. WE WERE ON THE FRINGE OF RADIO COVERAGE WITH ZBW AND WERE ABLE TO CONTACT THEM RIGHT AFTER INCIDENT. THEY THOUGHT WE WERE AT FL310 AND THE WDB AT FL350. CLRNC WAS WRITTEN DOWN AND READ BACK. SOMEHOW MISCOM HAD US AT FL310. I BELIEVE SOME SORT OF ATC COORD PROB OR JUST SOMEONE WRITING DOWN THE WRONG FLT LEVEL COULD HAVE BEEN THE PROB. IF WE WERE 20-30 SECS EARLIER WE COULD HAVE HAD BIG PROBS. ALSO DEP CTLR HAS MODE C READOUT CAPABILITY AND WATCHED US CLB TO FL350 WHILE WE WERE IN RADAR CONTACT. NO RADAR AT TIME OF INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 104810: THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE FAR SE CORNER OF BOS ARTCC'S AIRSPACE THAT BORDERS NY ARTCC OCEANIC CTL AIRSPACE. BOS ARTCC'S RADIO AND RADAR COVERAGE ARE MARGINAL, AT BEST, IN THIS AREA. WE TREAT TFC AS NON RADAR UNTIL WE IDENT THE ACFT APPROX 40 NM INSIDE OUR BOUNDARY. THERE WAS HVY NON RADAR TFC WBOUND ON R56 ROUTE TOWARD LINND INTXN, INCLUDING A WDB AT FL350. THE FLT HAD CALLED US WITH A NON RADAR PROGRESS AT SLATW INTXN. THE TRNEE CTLR I WAS MONITORING STARTED A TRACK NEAR A PRIMARY TARGET HDG WBOUND. SECONDARY RADAR COVERAGE WAS ANTICIPATED APPROX 30 NM W OF THIS PRIMARY. WE THEN OBSERVED ANOTHER PRIMARY TARGET ON A CONVERGING COURSE NBND, THE TRNEE AND I WERE CONCURRING THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY AN LGT AT FL310 NBND. BOTH ALTS (OF THE WDB AND LGT) WERE GIVEN TO US BY COORD FROM THE NY ARTCC OCEANIC CTLR. I WATCHED THE 2 PRIMARY TARGETS MERGE, AND VERY SOON AFTER GOT AN INITIAL CALL FROM THE LGT FLT REQUESTING, 'WHO WAS THAT WDB TFC WE JUST PASSED?' WE THEN ASCERTAINED THAT THE LGT FLT WAS AT FL350 AND RECEIVED THE CLRNC FROM BERMUDA CTL. THE ALT CHANGE WAS NEVER PASSED TO US AT BOS ARTCC. IT SEEMS TO BE INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR THE MANUAL CTLR TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE NY OCEANIC CTLR. OUR PHONE CALLS, FOR COORD, GO UNANSWERED FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, SOME LONG ENOUGH TO WARRANT OUR SUPVR TO CONTACT THEIRS ON A DIFFERENT SOURCE TO GET THEM TO TALK TO US. SINCE WE COULDN'T COORDINATE, WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO LET AN ACFT PROCEED INTO OCEANIC AIRSPACE. THIS PROB IS BECOMING MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN DURING THE PAST FEW YRS, AND I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY SOLUTION TO IT FROM MY END. IT MAY BE OCCURRING BTWN NY AND BERMUDA OCEANIC CTL AS WELL.

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.