Narrative:

Iah facility management all but ordered us to take all handoffs from houston center (ZHU) regardless of altitude. Controllers are to report deviations from letter of agreement to supervisor, but take handoffs! I was working houston approach control accepting handoffs from over the das VOR. Traffic for me was light to moderate, but built to heavy and complex in a very short period of time. I believe the center was busy due to thunderstorms in their airspace. My airspace is from 6000' to 10000'. Arrs are to be given to me at the following altitudes: jets 10000', propellers 9000'. Our departure control owns 0-5000' and 11000-15000' above and below me. It is the responsibility of ZHU to point out traffic that will be either high or not on the required standard terminal arrival route (STAR). As traffic began to build, the center became lax on their responsibilities. Handoffs were not flashing at the correct position and were at altitudes from 8000' to 16000'. Most were not pointed out to departure, even though they were level at 12000' in departure airspace, and given direct destination which also requires coordination. I accepted handoff on cga X at 9000' on STAR. On contact aircraft was descended to 7000'. I accepted handoff on air carrier Y at 12000' direct hou. I descended air carrier Y to 7000' and turned the aircraft westbound to avoid the houston eastbound departure corridor. The 2 aircraft were 2 mi apart on diverging courses at 7700 and 8300. I asked air carrier Y to maintain 8000, he missed the call or it was blocked, since it was so congested anyway. I called traffic to cga X. He saw air carrier Y. They were in no danger of hitting, but less than legal separation was a fact, before visibility was applied. I believe the policy of taking all handoffs as relayed to me in a crew briefing just the day before, influenced me to takeoff handoffs I would ordinarily not accept. This facility has had over 2 dozen reported system errors in past 2 yrs, and is now scrambling to protect jobs, changing airspace, habits, flow control, and compromising safety.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF SEPARATION OCCURRED WHEN TWO ACFT WERE DESCENDED TO THE SAME ALT.

Narrative: IAH FAC MGMNT ALL BUT ORDERED US TO TAKE ALL HDOFS FROM HOUSTON CTR (ZHU) REGARDLESS OF ALT. CTLRS ARE TO RPT DEVS FROM LETTER OF AGREEMENT TO SUPVR, BUT TAKE HDOFS! I WAS WORKING HOUSTON APCH CTL ACCEPTING HDOFS FROM OVER THE DAS VOR. TFC FOR ME WAS LIGHT TO MODERATE, BUT BUILT TO HVY AND COMPLEX IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. I BELIEVE THE CTR WAS BUSY DUE TO TSTMS IN THEIR AIRSPACE. MY AIRSPACE IS FROM 6000' TO 10000'. ARRS ARE TO BE GIVEN TO ME AT THE FOLLOWING ALTS: JETS 10000', PROPS 9000'. OUR DEP CTL OWNS 0-5000' AND 11000-15000' ABOVE AND BELOW ME. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ZHU TO POINT OUT TFC THAT WILL BE EITHER HIGH OR NOT ON THE REQUIRED STANDARD TERMINAL ARR RTE (STAR). AS TFC BEGAN TO BUILD, THE CTR BECAME LAX ON THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES. HDOFS WERE NOT FLASHING AT THE CORRECT POS AND WERE AT ALTS FROM 8000' TO 16000'. MOST WERE NOT POINTED OUT TO DEP, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE LEVEL AT 12000' IN DEP AIRSPACE, AND GIVEN DIRECT DEST WHICH ALSO REQUIRES COORD. I ACCEPTED HDOF ON CGA X AT 9000' ON STAR. ON CONTACT ACFT WAS DSNDED TO 7000'. I ACCEPTED HDOF ON ACR Y AT 12000' DIRECT HOU. I DSNDED ACR Y TO 7000' AND TURNED THE ACFT WBND TO AVOID THE HOUSTON EBND DEP CORRIDOR. THE 2 ACFT WERE 2 MI APART ON DIVERGING COURSES AT 7700 AND 8300. I ASKED ACR Y TO MAINTAIN 8000, HE MISSED THE CALL OR IT WAS BLOCKED, SINCE IT WAS SO CONGESTED ANYWAY. I CALLED TFC TO CGA X. HE SAW ACR Y. THEY WERE IN NO DANGER OF HITTING, BUT LESS THAN LEGAL SEPARATION WAS A FACT, BEFORE VIS WAS APPLIED. I BELIEVE THE POLICY OF TAKING ALL HDOFS AS RELAYED TO ME IN A CREW BRIEFING JUST THE DAY BEFORE, INFLUENCED ME TO TKOF HDOFS I WOULD ORDINARILY NOT ACCEPT. THIS FAC HAS HAD OVER 2 DOZEN RPTED SYS ERRORS IN PAST 2 YRS, AND IS NOW SCRAMBLING TO PROTECT JOBS, CHANGING AIRSPACE, HABITS, FLOW CTL, AND COMPROMISING SAFETY.

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.