Narrative:

I was working the high sector. The aircraft involved had departed a satellite airport in the northern part of my facility's airspace. The standard procedure specifies that for the particular route the aircraft was cleared via, the aircraft would climb to 10000' and exit the southern portion of the facility's airspace at that altitude. Rather than require the aircraft to fly a long distance at 10000', the low sector controller coordinated with me to see if I could get higher and on course for the aircraft from the center. Working west/O a strip, but knowing the aircraft's requested altitude and initial route, I coordinated with the center sector whose airspace the aircraft would enter. On course and higher were approved. While on the landline with the center, the low sector controller placed the strip in front of me. My usual habit when doing the type of coordination above is to manually hand off the aircraft since the automated handoff usually fails in this type of situation. I worked other aircraft during this period, and when I had time, looked at the strip on the aircraft in question. It showed the symbology 'right.' I believed that I had made the manual handoff, and the 'right' on the strip convinced me I had. At the appropriate time, I climbed the aircraft and switched it to the sector with whom I had coordinated. A while later my area manager received a phone call from the center sector beyond the one I had coordinated with. The aircraft entered his airspace west/O a handoff having been made. What we think happened: misunderstood coordination between me and center. I thought he was approving a route and altitude and had said, 'radar contact.' what he evidently was trying to tell me was 'pointout approved' and to hand the aircraft off to the center sector beyond his. When the aircraft checked in with him, he assumed that I had handed the aircraft off to the sector beyond his, but had given it the wrong frequency and switched it to what he thought was the correct frequency. This all happened because I was not specific in coordinating. I should have said, 'handoff,' which I did not do. Second, I should have verified the manual handoff since I thought I had made it, but was not 100% sure. Third, I should not have taken the 'right' on the strip at face value--the handwriting was ambiguous. The writing could have been mine, but was not--it was the low sector indicating the handoff to me had been made. I should have used a blank strip to keep track of what I was doing with the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLT PENETRATED ADJACENT FAC AIRSPACE WITHOUT APPROVAL OR HANDOFF.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING THE HIGH SECTOR. THE ACFT INVOLVED HAD DEPARTED A SATELLITE ARPT IN THE NORTHERN PART OF MY FAC'S AIRSPACE. THE STANDARD PROC SPECIFIES THAT FOR THE PARTICULAR ROUTE THE ACFT WAS CLRED VIA, THE ACFT WOULD CLB TO 10000' AND EXIT THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FAC'S AIRSPACE AT THAT ALT. RATHER THAN REQUIRE THE ACFT TO FLY A LONG DISTANCE AT 10000', THE LOW SECTOR CTLR COORDINATED WITH ME TO SEE IF I COULD GET HIGHER AND ON COURSE FOR THE ACFT FROM THE CENTER. WORKING W/O A STRIP, BUT KNOWING THE ACFT'S REQUESTED ALT AND INITIAL ROUTE, I COORDINATED WITH THE CENTER SECTOR WHOSE AIRSPACE THE ACFT WOULD ENTER. ON COURSE AND HIGHER WERE APPROVED. WHILE ON THE LANDLINE WITH THE CENTER, THE LOW SECTOR CTLR PLACED THE STRIP IN FRONT OF ME. MY USUAL HABIT WHEN DOING THE TYPE OF COORD ABOVE IS TO MANUALLY HAND OFF THE ACFT SINCE THE AUTOMATED HDOF USUALLY FAILS IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION. I WORKED OTHER ACFT DURING THIS PERIOD, AND WHEN I HAD TIME, LOOKED AT THE STRIP ON THE ACFT IN QUESTION. IT SHOWED THE SYMBOLOGY 'R.' I BELIEVED THAT I HAD MADE THE MANUAL HDOF, AND THE 'R' ON THE STRIP CONVINCED ME I HAD. AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME, I CLBED THE ACFT AND SWITCHED IT TO THE SECTOR WITH WHOM I HAD COORDINATED. A WHILE LATER MY AREA MGR RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE CENTER SECTOR BEYOND THE ONE I HAD COORDINATED WITH. THE ACFT ENTERED HIS AIRSPACE W/O A HDOF HAVING BEEN MADE. WHAT WE THINK HAPPENED: MISUNDERSTOOD COORD BTWN ME AND CENTER. I THOUGHT HE WAS APPROVING A ROUTE AND ALT AND HAD SAID, 'RADAR CONTACT.' WHAT HE EVIDENTLY WAS TRYING TO TELL ME WAS 'POINTOUT APPROVED' AND TO HAND THE ACFT OFF TO THE CENTER SECTOR BEYOND HIS. WHEN THE ACFT CHKED IN WITH HIM, HE ASSUMED THAT I HAD HANDED THE ACFT OFF TO THE SECTOR BEYOND HIS, BUT HAD GIVEN IT THE WRONG FREQ AND SWITCHED IT TO WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS THE CORRECT FREQ. THIS ALL HAPPENED BECAUSE I WAS NOT SPECIFIC IN COORDINATING. I SHOULD HAVE SAID, 'HDOF,' WHICH I DID NOT DO. SECOND, I SHOULD HAVE VERIFIED THE MANUAL HDOF SINCE I THOUGHT I HAD MADE IT, BUT WAS NOT 100% SURE. THIRD, I SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN THE 'R' ON THE STRIP AT FACE VALUE--THE HANDWRITING WAS AMBIGUOUS. THE WRITING COULD HAVE BEEN MINE, BUT WAS NOT--IT WAS THE LOW SECTOR INDICATING THE HDOF TO ME HAD BEEN MADE. I SHOULD HAVE USED A BLANK STRIP TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I WAS DOING WITH THE ACFT.

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.