Narrative:

I was working radar east (re) at oma TRACON using cenrap due to a terminal radar outage (they are changing over to ASR9 and have had the antenna disassembled for 2 days) tower called for a release on air carrier X, light transport. Unknown to me radar west (rw) had released aircraft Y (light twin) to his sector. Tall towers to the west preclude turning further west than 320 degree. Both aircraft departed runway 35, air carrier X was assigned heading 350 degree because of a VFR flight check inbound from the north. Air carrier X departed approximately 2 mi behind aircraft Y and contacted me immediately. I asked air carrier X, on contact, if he had aircraft Y insight (aircraft Y was already talking to rw). He did not. I immediately advised rw and turned the air carrier X. Rw asked tower what sep was being applied? They advised visibility. Rw advised we were already talking to both aircraft and they did not have each other insight. West/O visibility sep non-radar sep should have been applied due to the limitations of cenrap. We immediately notified the supervisor. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter stated aircraft Y was a private, small transport. Reporter did not know if air carrier X had been instructed to maintain visibility sep from aircraft Y by the tower. Reporter stated cenrap was ARTCC secondary radar piped into the TRACON. Facility letter of agreement with the tower said the tower was to provide non-radar sep until the aircraft were in contact with departure control. Supervisor told the reporter he would look into the problem between air carrier X and aircraft Y but the reporter was never informed of the findings. No operational error was filed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR X DID NOT HAVE ACFT Y IN SIGHT AFTER DEP. POSSIBLE PLTDEV. POSSIBLE SYSTEM ERROR.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING RADAR E (RE) AT OMA TRACON USING CENRAP DUE TO A TERMINAL RADAR OUTAGE (THEY ARE CHANGING OVER TO ASR9 AND HAVE HAD THE ANTENNA DISASSEMBLED FOR 2 DAYS) TWR CALLED FOR A RELEASE ON ACR X, LTT. UNKNOWN TO ME RADAR W (RW) HAD RELEASED ACFT Y (LIGHT TWIN) TO HIS SECTOR. TALL TWRS TO THE W PRECLUDE TURNING FURTHER W THAN 320 DEG. BOTH ACFT DEPARTED RWY 35, ACR X WAS ASSIGNED HDG 350 DEG BECAUSE OF A VFR FLT CHK INBND FROM THE N. ACR X DEPARTED APPROX 2 MI BEHIND ACFT Y AND CONTACTED ME IMMEDIATELY. I ASKED ACR X, ON CONTACT, IF HE HAD ACFT Y INSIGHT (ACFT Y WAS ALREADY TALKING TO RW). HE DID NOT. I IMMEDIATELY ADVISED RW AND TURNED THE ACR X. RW ASKED TWR WHAT SEP WAS BEING APPLIED? THEY ADVISED VIS. RW ADVISED WE WERE ALREADY TALKING TO BOTH ACFT AND THEY DID NOT HAVE EACH OTHER INSIGHT. W/O VIS SEP NON-RADAR SEP SHOULD HAVE BEEN APPLIED DUE TO THE LIMITATIONS OF CENRAP. WE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE SUPVR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATED ACFT Y WAS A PVT, SMT. RPTR DID NOT KNOW IF ACR X HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN VIS SEP FROM ACFT Y BY THE TWR. RPTR STATED CENRAP WAS ARTCC SECONDARY RADAR PIPED INTO THE TRACON. FAC LETTER OF AGREEMENT WITH THE TWR SAID THE TWR WAS TO PROVIDE NON-RADAR SEP UNTIL THE ACFT WERE IN CONTACT WITH DEP CTL. SUPVR TOLD THE RPTR HE WOULD LOOK INTO THE PROB BTWN ACR X AND ACFT Y BUT THE RPTR WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THE FINDINGS. NO OPERROR WAS FILED.

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.