Narrative:

During heavy traffic 2 sectors were combined. Supervisor said to separate the combined control sectors. I took one sector with me. Short on personnel. I had two bays of strips with no help so I was required to operate both positions. The manual side sorting strips and updating my flight plans and work a heavy load of traffic. Widebody transport was handed off to me climbing to FL330 from southwest of tay VOR. When we split the sectors, large transport was kept by the original sector because large transport would be making a scheduled descent southeast, north of tay. Widebody transport came over climbing to FL330. He said nothing about not being able to make it across the tay VOR and join the arwy (J75) as normal. I took the handoff and proceeded to take care of other aircraft and the manual control functions. My scan returned to widebody transport who had just xed tay but instead of joining J75 he cut across to the northeast about 25 degrees east of the arwy. As he xed the VOR at that acute angle the conflict alert engaged. I issued a 30 degree turn to the left. The pilot came back saying he was already in a turn back to join the arwy and asked me if I wanted to give him a heading. Issued a heading of 340 degree which should have given him a 70 degree to 80 degree turn. As he made his turn, large transport entered widebody transport airspace and set off the snitch. When we got the tape and measured what spacing we would have had if widebody transport had joined J75 as he should have done and as everyone does 50 times a day, he would have had 10 mi between widebody transport and large transport. Because of the tight turn I gave widebody transport, he was never more than 4 mi south of the arwy. Therefore, it has been determined I was at fault and not the pilot. If I had not turned widebody transport back into the arwy, there is no telling how far he would have gone south of J75 before he turned back. My opinion is pilot error. So far the initial FAA findings is the pilot did not go more than 4 mi, therefore it will be too hard to blame the pilot error so the controller will have to buy this one.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN TWO ACR ACFT WAS LOST WHEN ONE ACFT FAILED TO MAKE A TURN ONTO AN AIRWAY.

Narrative: DURING HVY TFC 2 SECTORS WERE COMBINED. SUPVR SAID TO SEPARATE THE COMBINED CTL SECTORS. I TOOK ONE SECTOR WITH ME. SHORT ON PERSONNEL. I HAD TWO BAYS OF STRIPS WITH NO HELP SO I WAS REQUIRED TO OPERATE BOTH POSITIONS. THE MANUAL SIDE SORTING STRIPS AND UPDATING MY FLT PLANS AND WORK A HVY LOAD OF TFC. WDB WAS HANDED OFF TO ME CLBING TO FL330 FROM SW OF TAY VOR. WHEN WE SPLIT THE SECTORS, LGT WAS KEPT BY THE ORIGINAL SECTOR BECAUSE LGT WOULD BE MAKING A SCHEDULED DSNT SE, N OF TAY. WDB CAME OVER CLBING TO FL330. HE SAID NOTHING ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE IT ACROSS THE TAY VOR AND JOIN THE ARWY (J75) AS NORMAL. I TOOK THE HDOF AND PROCEEDED TO TAKE CARE OF OTHER ACFT AND THE MANUAL CTL FUNCTIONS. MY SCAN RETURNED TO WDB WHO HAD JUST XED TAY BUT INSTEAD OF JOINING J75 HE CUT ACROSS TO THE NE ABOUT 25 DEGS E OF THE ARWY. AS HE XED THE VOR AT THAT ACUTE ANGLE THE CONFLICT ALERT ENGAGED. I ISSUED A 30 DEG TURN TO THE L. THE PLT CAME BACK SAYING HE WAS ALREADY IN A TURN BACK TO JOIN THE ARWY AND ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO GIVE HIM A HDG. ISSUED A HDG OF 340 DEG WHICH SHOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM A 70 DEG TO 80 DEG TURN. AS HE MADE HIS TURN, LGT ENTERED WDB AIRSPACE AND SET OFF THE SNITCH. WHEN WE GOT THE TAPE AND MEASURED WHAT SPACING WE WOULD HAVE HAD IF WDB HAD JOINED J75 AS HE SHOULD HAVE DONE AND AS EVERYONE DOES 50 TIMES A DAY, HE WOULD HAVE HAD 10 MI BTWN WDB AND LGT. BECAUSE OF THE TIGHT TURN I GAVE WDB, HE WAS NEVER MORE THAN 4 MI S OF THE ARWY. THEREFORE, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED I WAS AT FAULT AND NOT THE PLT. IF I HAD NOT TURNED WDB BACK INTO THE ARWY, THERE IS NO TELLING HOW FAR HE WOULD HAVE GONE S OF J75 BEFORE HE TURNED BACK. MY OPINION IS PLT ERROR. SO FAR THE INITIAL FAA FINDINGS IS THE PLT DID NOT GO MORE THAN 4 MI, THEREFORE IT WILL BE TOO HARD TO BLAME THE PLT ERROR SO THE CTLR WILL HAVE TO BUY THIS ONE.

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.