Narrative:

This was my first day back on duty after spending a day and a half going through the operational error procedure for a system error, for which it was finally decided that I was not at fault. Even though I was exonerated of the error, my confidence was still shaken somewhat. I was working radar at st augustine sector. We had approximately 10-12 aircraft in the sector, not many but most of the situations were complex, climbing, descending, missing military airspace, etc. In the midst of this, I take a handoff from sector 76 on small transport X at FL260. Small transport X was landing at flagler co airport and by all rights should have at least been at FL2400, preferably lower. Small transport X was given a 130 degree heading to take him east of an aircraft at FL250 northbound over crg. When he was clear of the traffic, I descended him to FL240, on top of st johns sector. Air carrier Y, landing mco had been previously cleared to FL240 southbound on J19. When small transport X was east of st johns airspace, I cleared him to 16,000 and turned him to a 195 degree heading to keep him away from air carrier Y. C/a had gone off at least one other situation, if not two. When taking care of these situation, an air carrier aircraft is flashed (handing off) to me, landing dab. He is much faster than small transport X. I turned small transport X to omn and then as filed, to get him on course, and down. I notice air carrier Y catching small transport X from behind. Initially, I told small transport X to expedite to 16,000 but then recanted, realizing he was at 246 and air carrier Y is at 240. I issue a heading of 240 to air carrier Y, who doesn't acknowledge. Small transport X reads back 'turning to 240 degree'. I tell small transport X to turn to 160 and tell air carrier Y to turn to 240. Air carrier Y then sees small transport X and climbs to 242 to miss him. Other altitude clrncs had been issued but in the confusion, were not taken. Supplemental information from acn 133345: small transport X crossed (crg) VORTAC, requested a descent to lower altitude. ZJX had small transport X maintain 260 until FL250 traffic northbound passed us. Heading was changed to southeast course. Descent was granted to 16,000, AC commenced 1000 FPM descent. As we passed FL24,000 ZJX requested that we maintain FL240, climb back up from 23,700. Heading was changed again. Then a heading of 240 was given to small transport X. Responded and executed same, unsure of ZJX instructions, I read back heading and altitude. At this time jax told small transport X to turn left to 135. Passenger in back yelled aircraft at my 5 O'clock position. I turned further left and descended 150'. An air carrier, large transport made a hard right climbing turn distance was approximately 800' horizontal and 200 vertical. Both flts continued to their destination. Supplemental information from acn 131112: ZJX was vectoring small transport X with numerous calls. One vector I believe was a heading of 240. Then a confirmation of clearance was asked for by ZJX. Then a left turn was given to small transport X. By this time I was looking actively for small transport X. I saw him (a twin turbo t-tail) approximately 500' or less below us and about 1000' in front at our 11:30 position. I instructed the first officer to climb and turn right. We were then instructed by ATC to turn to 240 degree. I told ATC we were already turning and had climbed 200'. We then returned to FL240 and were vectored back on course. I was alerted to the situation because of the numerous calls to small transport X. At no time did ATC inform us of another aircraft in our vicinity or of any conflict. They did not give us any instructions at all until I told them we were turning right and climbing. Supplemental information from acn 131193: both captain and F/east saw another aircraft suddenly appear from below nose and slightly left in what appeared to be a climbing left turn. They both yelled out the traffic and to turn. I looked up and saw what appeared to be a t-tail type aircraft at my 11:30 position at about 2000' and about 100' lower in a shallow left climbing turn headed about the same as us. I started a right climbing turn using 60 degree bank and lost sight of the aircraft under the captain's window at our 9:30 position as we went by him. Estimate that we came about 1000' laterally and 200' above him at the closest. We climbed to FL242. Supplemental information from acn 131546: a major problem to most controllers in my area, is that st augustine sector is too narrow, too small to maneuver aircraft in. It is approximately 10-12 mi wide at the point the incident occurred. We are constantly vectoring aircraft for climbs and dscnts through here. Departures consistently pop up underneath arrs, requiring vectors and worst of all, there is an active (almost always) warning area at the eastern boundary, resulting in spillouts and numerous whiskey alerts on our part and the military. Coordination is a nightmare. We need a permanent change in the western boundary of 2158A -- 10 mi along our eastern boundary so we could run mco inbnds through this area and have the rest for overflts and climbers. This is the area known as rainbow areas (WX deviation). The military does not want to give this area up permanently, but I feel that there comes a time when the safety of civilian aircraft far outweighs the wants of the military to have as much airspace as possible to train in. With the increase in air traffic, we sometimes have as many as 25 aircraft along the coast when the entire warning area is hot due to a few military aircraft doing exercises.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN SMT X AND ACR Y. SYSTEM ERROR. SITUATION: AIRSPACE DESIGN PROX OF WARNING AREA MIL CTL.

Narrative: THIS WAS MY FIRST DAY BACK ON DUTY AFTER SPENDING A DAY AND A HALF GOING THROUGH THE OPERATIONAL ERROR PROC FOR A SYSTEM ERROR, FOR WHICH IT WAS FINALLY DECIDED THAT I WAS NOT AT FAULT. EVEN THOUGH I WAS EXONERATED OF THE ERROR, MY CONFIDENCE WAS STILL SHAKEN SOMEWHAT. I WAS WORKING RADAR AT ST AUGUSTINE SECTOR. WE HAD APPROX 10-12 ACFT IN THE SECTOR, NOT MANY BUT MOST OF THE SITUATIONS WERE COMPLEX, CLIMBING, DESCENDING, MISSING MIL AIRSPACE, ETC. IN THE MIDST OF THIS, I TAKE A HANDOFF FROM SECTOR 76 ON SMT X AT FL260. SMT X WAS LNDG AT FLAGLER CO ARPT AND BY ALL RIGHTS SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST BEEN AT FL2400, PREFERABLY LOWER. SMT X WAS GIVEN A 130 DEG HDG TO TAKE HIM E OF AN ACFT AT FL250 NBOUND OVER CRG. WHEN HE WAS CLEAR OF THE TFC, I DESCENDED HIM TO FL240, ON TOP OF ST JOHNS SECTOR. ACR Y, LNDG MCO HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY CLRED TO FL240 SBND ON J19. WHEN SMT X WAS E OF ST JOHNS AIRSPACE, I CLRED HIM TO 16,000 AND TURNED HIM TO A 195 DEG HDG TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM ACR Y. C/A HAD GONE OFF AT LEAST ONE OTHER SITUATION, IF NOT TWO. WHEN TAKING CARE OF THESE SITUATION, AN ACR ACFT IS FLASHED (HANDING OFF) TO ME, LNDG DAB. HE IS MUCH FASTER THAN SMT X. I TURNED SMT X TO OMN AND THEN AS FILED, TO GET HIM ON COURSE, AND DOWN. I NOTICE ACR Y CATCHING SMT X FROM BEHIND. INITIALLY, I TOLD SMT X TO EXPEDITE TO 16,000 BUT THEN RECANTED, REALIZING HE WAS AT 246 AND ACR Y IS AT 240. I ISSUE A HDG OF 240 TO ACR Y, WHO DOESN'T ACKNOWLEDGE. SMT X READS BACK 'TURNING TO 240 DEG'. I TELL SMT X TO TURN TO 160 AND TELL ACR Y TO TURN TO 240. ACR Y THEN SEES SMT X AND CLIMBS TO 242 TO MISS HIM. OTHER ALT CLRNCS HAD BEEN ISSUED BUT IN THE CONFUSION, WERE NOT TAKEN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 133345: SMT X CROSSED (CRG) VORTAC, REQUESTED A DSCNT TO LOWER ALT. ZJX HAD SMT X MAINTAIN 260 UNTIL FL250 TFC NBOUND PASSED US. HDG WAS CHANGED TO SE COURSE. DSCNT WAS GRANTED TO 16,000, AC COMMENCED 1000 FPM DSCNT. AS WE PASSED FL24,000 ZJX REQUESTED THAT WE MAINTAIN FL240, CLIMB BACK UP FROM 23,700. HDG WAS CHANGED AGAIN. THEN A HDG OF 240 WAS GIVEN TO SMT X. RESPONDED AND EXECUTED SAME, UNSURE OF ZJX INSTRUCTIONS, I READ BACK HDG AND ALT. AT THIS TIME JAX TOLD SMT X TO TURN LEFT TO 135. PAX IN BACK YELLED ACFT AT MY 5 O'CLOCK POSITION. I TURNED FURTHER LEFT AND DESCENDED 150'. AN ACR, LGT MADE A HARD RIGHT CLIMBING TURN DISTANCE WAS APPROX 800' HORIZ AND 200 VERTICAL. BOTH FLTS CONTINUED TO THEIR DEST. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 131112: ZJX WAS VECTORING SMT X WITH NUMEROUS CALLS. ONE VECTOR I BELIEVE WAS A HDG OF 240. THEN A CONFIRMATION OF CLRNC WAS ASKED FOR BY ZJX. THEN A LEFT TURN WAS GIVEN TO SMT X. BY THIS TIME I WAS LOOKING ACTIVELY FOR SMT X. I SAW HIM (A TWIN TURBO T-TAIL) APPROX 500' OR LESS BELOW US AND ABOUT 1000' IN FRONT AT OUR 11:30 POSITION. I INSTRUCTED THE F/O TO CLIMB AND TURN RIGHT. WE WERE THEN INSTRUCTED BY ATC TO TURN TO 240 DEG. I TOLD ATC WE WERE ALREADY TURNING AND HAD CLIMBED 200'. WE THEN RETURNED TO FL240 AND WERE VECTORED BACK ON COURSE. I WAS ALERTED TO THE SITUATION BECAUSE OF THE NUMEROUS CALLS TO SMT X. AT NO TIME DID ATC INFORM US OF ANOTHER ACFT IN OUR VICINITY OR OF ANY CONFLICT. THEY DID NOT GIVE US ANY INSTRUCTIONS AT ALL UNTIL I TOLD THEM WE WERE TURNING RIGHT AND CLIMBING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 131193: BOTH CAPT AND F/E SAW ANOTHER ACFT SUDDENLY APPEAR FROM BELOW NOSE AND SLIGHTLY LEFT IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE A CLIMBING LEFT TURN. THEY BOTH YELLED OUT THE TFC AND TO TURN. I LOOKED UP AND SAW WHAT APPEARED TO BE A T-TAIL TYPE ACFT AT MY 11:30 POSITION AT ABOUT 2000' AND ABOUT 100' LOWER IN A SHALLOW LEFT CLIMBING TURN HEADED ABOUT THE SAME AS US. I STARTED A RIGHT CLIMBING TURN USING 60 DEG BANK AND LOST SIGHT OF THE ACFT UNDER THE CAPT'S WINDOW AT OUR 9:30 POSITION AS WE WENT BY HIM. ESTIMATE THAT WE CAME ABOUT 1000' LATERALLY AND 200' ABOVE HIM AT THE CLOSEST. WE CLIMBED TO FL242. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 131546: A MAJOR PROBLEM TO MOST CTLRS IN MY AREA, IS THAT ST AUGUSTINE SECTOR IS TOO NARROW, TOO SMALL TO MANEUVER ACFT IN. IT IS APPROX 10-12 MI WIDE AT THE POINT THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. WE ARE CONSTANTLY VECTORING ACFT FOR CLIMBS AND DSCNTS THROUGH HERE. DEPS CONSISTENTLY POP UP UNDERNEATH ARRS, REQUIRING VECTORS AND WORST OF ALL, THERE IS AN ACTIVE (ALMOST ALWAYS) WARNING AREA AT THE EASTERN BOUNDARY, RESULTING IN SPILLOUTS AND NUMEROUS WHISKEY ALERTS ON OUR PART AND THE MIL. COORD IS A NIGHTMARE. WE NEED A PERMANENT CHANGE IN THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF 2158A -- 10 MI ALONG OUR EASTERN BOUNDARY SO WE COULD RUN MCO INBNDS THROUGH THIS AREA AND HAVE THE REST FOR OVERFLTS AND CLIMBERS. THIS IS THE AREA KNOWN AS RAINBOW AREAS (WX DEVIATION). THE MIL DOES NOT WANT TO GIVE THIS AREA UP PERMANENTLY, BUT I FEEL THAT THERE COMES A TIME WHEN THE SAFETY OF CIVILIAN ACFT FAR OUTWEIGHS THE WANTS OF THE MIL TO HAVE AS MUCH AIRSPACE AS POSSIBLE TO TRAIN IN. WITH THE INCREASE IN AIR TFC, WE SOMETIMES HAVE AS MANY AS 25 ACFT ALONG THE COAST WHEN THE ENTIRE WARNING AREA IS HOT DUE TO A FEW MIL ACFT DOING EXERCISES.

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.