Narrative:

I was working a combined radar position at lit. At XA00L small aircraft X departed lit on an IFR flight plan to jbr on a heading of 020 degrees off the airport. I radar idented the aircraft and climbed him to 5000'. I left the aircraft on his departure heading to ensure he stayed in my airspace. The frequency was extremely congested. I was monitoring 4 frequencys, and it was during the peak traffic hour on the busiest day of the week. The aircraft heading was close enough to his on-course heading that I delayed putting him on course for a few more mi due to the traffic inbound that he would conflict with. The airspace I was responsible for is a little more than half of our approach control airspace and my attention was drawn to the extreme opp side of the scope for a sustained period with traffic. Approximately 15-20 mi from lit I initiated an automated handoff to ZME. Our equipment doesn't have the capability of showing us which sector the handoff is automating to, and often we verbally coordinate with ZME to find out who received the handoff. When I scanned back to small aircraft X I did not realize that I had not yet put him on course. What caught my attention was that he was 5 mi from the airspace boundary and ZME had not yet taken the handoff. I then asked another controller to initiate a manual handoff, but before he could, ZME took the handoff. Because I had not put the aircraft on course he was approximately 10 mi west of course and entering the wrong ZME sector's airspace. (His on course heading would have put him down the boundary between the 2 ZME sectors.) our LOA between lit and ZME states the receiving facility is responsible for intrafac coordination (pointouts to other sectors). Therefore, the ZME sector who received the handoff should have pointed him out to the sector the aircraft actually entered. The LOA also states that aircraft climbing below 10000' will be on course prior to leaving lit airspace latitude boundary. Therefore, I was at fault for not having put the aircraft on course. In my opinion, the amount of traffic I was working contributed to the deviation as well as the fact that ZME waited until the last possible moment to take the handoff. My attention was directed to ensuring a handoff instead of a 20 degree turn to on-course.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ENTERED ADJACENT FAC AIRSPACE AFTER HANDOFF WAS MADE TO THE WRONG SECTOR.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING A COMBINED RADAR POS AT LIT. AT XA00L SMA X DEPARTED LIT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN TO JBR ON A HDG OF 020 DEGS OFF THE ARPT. I RADAR IDENTED THE ACFT AND CLBED HIM TO 5000'. I LEFT THE ACFT ON HIS DEP HDG TO ENSURE HE STAYED IN MY AIRSPACE. THE FREQ WAS EXTREMELY CONGESTED. I WAS MONITORING 4 FREQS, AND IT WAS DURING THE PEAK TFC HR ON THE BUSIEST DAY OF THE WK. THE ACFT HDG WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO HIS ON-COURSE HDG THAT I DELAYED PUTTING HIM ON COURSE FOR A FEW MORE MI DUE TO THE TFC INBND THAT HE WOULD CONFLICT WITH. THE AIRSPACE I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR IS A LITTLE MORE THAN HALF OF OUR APCH CTL AIRSPACE AND MY ATTN WAS DRAWN TO THE EXTREME OPP SIDE OF THE SCOPE FOR A SUSTAINED PERIOD WITH TFC. APPROX 15-20 MI FROM LIT I INITIATED AN AUTOMATED HDOF TO ZME. OUR EQUIP DOESN'T HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF SHOWING US WHICH SECTOR THE HDOF IS AUTOMATING TO, AND OFTEN WE VERBALLY COORDINATE WITH ZME TO FIND OUT WHO RECEIVED THE HDOF. WHEN I SCANNED BACK TO SMA X I DID NOT REALIZE THAT I HAD NOT YET PUT HIM ON COURSE. WHAT CAUGHT MY ATTN WAS THAT HE WAS 5 MI FROM THE AIRSPACE BOUNDARY AND ZME HAD NOT YET TAKEN THE HDOF. I THEN ASKED ANOTHER CTLR TO INITIATE A MANUAL HDOF, BUT BEFORE HE COULD, ZME TOOK THE HDOF. BECAUSE I HAD NOT PUT THE ACFT ON COURSE HE WAS APPROX 10 MI W OF COURSE AND ENTERING THE WRONG ZME SECTOR'S AIRSPACE. (HIS ON COURSE HDG WOULD HAVE PUT HIM DOWN THE BOUNDARY BTWN THE 2 ZME SECTORS.) OUR LOA BTWN LIT AND ZME STATES THE RECEIVING FAC IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INTRAFAC COORD (POINTOUTS TO OTHER SECTORS). THEREFORE, THE ZME SECTOR WHO RECEIVED THE HDOF SHOULD HAVE POINTED HIM OUT TO THE SECTOR THE ACFT ACTUALLY ENTERED. THE LOA ALSO STATES THAT ACFT CLBING BELOW 10000' WILL BE ON COURSE PRIOR TO LEAVING LIT AIRSPACE LAT BOUNDARY. THEREFORE, I WAS AT FAULT FOR NOT HAVING PUT THE ACFT ON COURSE. IN MY OPINION, THE AMOUNT OF TFC I WAS WORKING CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVIATION AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT ZME WAITED UNTIL THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT TO TAKE THE HDOF. MY ATTN WAS DIRECTED TO ENSURING A HDOF INSTEAD OF A 20 DEG TURN TO ON-COURSE.

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.