Narrative:

Light transport en route to pit on an IFR flight plan at FL280. Medium large transport was en route to ewr at FL330. After entering my airspace medium large transport was given a clearance to descend to FL240. After accepting a handoff on light transport I saw his route of flight and knew he would pass behind medium large transport. However, he was slightly south of course tracking down the wrong arwy. I assumed the pilot would correct his route of flight, or the previous controller had turned the aircraft, or noticed it was off course and would put it back on course. After a few moments, and after light transport checked on my frequency, I realized his course would not be corrected. I then asked the pilot to verify his routing and he verified the proper routing. I then informed him he was off course tracking down the wrong arwy. I told him to correct to the right and proceed direct to his next VOR on the flight plan, approximately a 30 degree right turn. After approximately 1 min I noticed no right turn from light transport and his present heading was putting him in conflict with medium large transport. I promptly turned light transport to a 280 degree heading. This turn I felt should have been sufficient, however I was not aware of the winds from the northwest that caused the 280 degree heading to actually be about 260 degrees. Upon seeing this I turned light transport to a 300 degree heading and turned medium large transport 30 degrees right. The aircraft passed 4.75 mi apart instead of the standard 5 mi, however there was no loss of safety. Direct cause of loss of sep was my not being aware of the direction or intensity of the upper winds. Indirect causes were 2-FOLD. One, the previous controller did not realize light transport was off course and allowed it to penetrate my airspace 16 mi east of where it should have entered my airspace. 2, the pilot did not realize he was off course and when I informed him of where he was and told him to correct his course by proceeding directly ot the next VOR, he did not promptly do this. This caused the issuance of the vector which was not extreme enough for standard sep.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RADAR VECTOR ISSUED TO ACFT OFF COURSE WERE NOT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO PREVENT LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION WITH ANOTHER ACFT.

Narrative: LTT ENRTE TO PIT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AT FL280. MLG WAS ENRTE TO EWR AT FL330. AFTER ENTERING MY AIRSPACE MLG WAS GIVEN A CLRNC TO DSND TO FL240. AFTER ACCEPTING A HDOF ON LTT I SAW HIS ROUTE OF FLT AND KNEW HE WOULD PASS BEHIND MLG. HOWEVER, HE WAS SLIGHTLY S OF COURSE TRACKING DOWN THE WRONG ARWY. I ASSUMED THE PLT WOULD CORRECT HIS ROUTE OF FLT, OR THE PREVIOUS CTLR HAD TURNED THE ACFT, OR NOTICED IT WAS OFF COURSE AND WOULD PUT IT BACK ON COURSE. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, AND AFTER LTT CHKED ON MY FREQ, I REALIZED HIS COURSE WOULD NOT BE CORRECTED. I THEN ASKED THE PLT TO VERIFY HIS ROUTING AND HE VERIFIED THE PROPER ROUTING. I THEN INFORMED HIM HE WAS OFF COURSE TRACKING DOWN THE WRONG ARWY. I TOLD HIM TO CORRECT TO THE RIGHT AND PROCEED DIRECT TO HIS NEXT VOR ON THE FLT PLAN, APPROX A 30 DEG RIGHT TURN. AFTER APPROX 1 MIN I NOTICED NO RIGHT TURN FROM LTT AND HIS PRESENT HDG WAS PUTTING HIM IN CONFLICT WITH MLG. I PROMPTLY TURNED LTT TO A 280 DEG HDG. THIS TURN I FELT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT, HOWEVER I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE WINDS FROM THE NW THAT CAUSED THE 280 DEG HDG TO ACTUALLY BE ABOUT 260 DEGS. UPON SEEING THIS I TURNED LTT TO A 300 DEG HDG AND TURNED MLG 30 DEGS RIGHT. THE ACFT PASSED 4.75 MI APART INSTEAD OF THE STANDARD 5 MI, HOWEVER THERE WAS NO LOSS OF SAFETY. DIRECT CAUSE OF LOSS OF SEP WAS MY NOT BEING AWARE OF THE DIRECTION OR INTENSITY OF THE UPPER WINDS. INDIRECT CAUSES WERE 2-FOLD. ONE, THE PREVIOUS CTLR DID NOT REALIZE LTT WAS OFF COURSE AND ALLOWED IT TO PENETRATE MY AIRSPACE 16 MI E OF WHERE IT SHOULD HAVE ENTERED MY AIRSPACE. 2, THE PLT DID NOT REALIZE HE WAS OFF COURSE AND WHEN I INFORMED HIM OF WHERE HE WAS AND TOLD HIM TO CORRECT HIS COURSE BY PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OT THE NEXT VOR, HE DID NOT PROMPTLY DO THIS. THIS CAUSED THE ISSUANCE OF THE VECTOR WHICH WAS NOT EXTREME ENOUGH FOR STANDARD SEP.

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.