Aircraft penetrated adjacent facility airspace without handoff due to controller dropping data tag.

Attributes
ACN	138259
Time
Date	199003
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : hub airport : bpt
State Reference	TX
Altitude	msl bound lower : 16000 msl bound upper : 16000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zhu
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	other
Make Model Name	Military Transport
Flight Phase	descent other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : radar
Qualification	controller : radar
Experience	controller radar : 30
ASRS Report	138259
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Deviation

Narrative:

I was working radar positions combined. Air carrier X departed bpt en route to aus and assigned a heading of 250 degrees and climbed to 16000' to join V198. The ARTS interface with iaa approach became intermittent at this time and manual handoff had to be given by iah approach on 4 aircraft. Rare 09 was a VFR inbound to efd and descended to 1500'. Due to the complexity of traffic, I terminated mlt Y and advised the pilot to contact iah approach for further advisories. When attempting to cancel the flight plan on mlt Y, I inadvertently dropped the flight plan on air carrier X. My attention was distracted by having to vector other aircraft for climb and sep and did not realize that I had removed the wrong flight plan.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT PENETRATED ADJACENT FAC AIRSPACE WITHOUT HANDOFF DUE TO CTLR DROPPING DATA TAG.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING RADAR POSITIONS COMBINED. ACR X DEPARTED BPT ENRTE TO AUS AND ASSIGNED A HDG OF 250 DEGS AND CLBED TO 16000' TO JOIN V198. THE ARTS INTERFACE WITH IAA APCH BECAME INTERMITTENT AT THIS TIME AND MANUAL HDOF HAD TO BE GIVEN BY IAH APCH ON 4 ACFT. RARE 09 WAS A VFR INBND TO EFD AND DSNDED TO 1500'. DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF TFC, I TERMINATED MLT Y AND ADVISED THE PLT TO CONTACT IAH APCH FOR FURTHER ADVISORIES. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CANCEL THE FLT PLAN ON MLT Y, I INADVERTENTLY DROPPED THE FLT PLAN ON ACR X. MY ATTN WAS DISTRACTED BY HAVING TO VECTOR OTHER ACFT FOR CLB AND SEP AND DID NOT REALIZE THAT I HAD REMOVED THE WRONG FLT PLAN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.