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Air carrier aircraft was descended form 34;000 feet to 32;000 feet. The aircraft had opposite direction traffic at 33;000 feet that the controller did not notice or remember. The assist controller pointed out the potential confliction to the radar controller when the descent clearance was issued. At the time the radar controller issued instructions to separate the aircraft; the aircraft were responding to their TCAS/RA.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1309598 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201511 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZDV.ARTCC |
| State Reference | CO |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Medium Large Transport |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Descent |
| Route In Use | Vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | Large Transport |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Enroute |
| Qualification | Air Traffic Control Developmental |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | Enroute |
| Qualification | Air Traffic Control Fully Certified |
| Experience | Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 4.0 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | ATC Issue All Types Conflict Airborne Conflict Deviation - Procedural Clearance |
Narrative:
Aircraft X was given descent for arrival and to ensure that other departing aircraft could adequately climb above. Aircraft Y was opposite direction at 33;000 feet; and became traffic for aircraft X. Aircraft Y was missed in the traffic scan when analyzing climb performance of departures and the decision to start aircraft X down early. Vectors of 20 degrees right were issued to both aircraft; but both pilots received TCAS ras and took the recommended action over the vectors issued by the controller. It was a case of solving a situation involving factors a and B; but forgetting about factor C. Controller vectors and TCAS saved the situation from becoming more dangerous.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Air carrier aircraft was descended form 34;000 feet to 32;000 feet. The aircraft had opposite direction traffic at 33;000 feet that the Controller did not notice or remember. The Assist Controller pointed out the potential confliction to the Radar Controller when the descent clearance was issued. At the time the Radar Controller issued instructions to separate the aircraft; the aircraft were responding to their TCAS/RA.
Narrative: Aircraft X was given descent for arrival and to ensure that other departing aircraft could adequately climb above. Aircraft Y was opposite direction at 33;000 feet; and became traffic for aircraft X. Aircraft Y was missed in the traffic scan when analyzing climb performance of departures and the decision to start aircraft X down early. Vectors of 20 degrees right were issued to both aircraft; but both pilots received TCAS RAs and took the recommended action over the vectors issued by the controller. It was a case of solving a situation involving factors A and B; but forgetting about factor C. Controller vectors and TCAS saved the situation from becoming more dangerous.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.