Narrative:

I took a handoff on aircraft X at 11;000 coming from abq TRACON. The aircraft checked in and I gave him the altimeter as well as described moderate precipitation depicted on my scope. I also advised the aircraft of icing in the higher altitudes in the event he got into it and to advise if he needed deviations. The flight plan showed the aircraft abq.V263.cnx. V263 has a lower mia and allows for 11;000. East of V263 mia is 12;000. When I took the hand off aircraft X was west of V263 so I assumed he was given a vector to intercept the airway. As the aircraft got closer to V263 and observed him [to] be a potential problem with 12;000 terrain block; I verified he was cleared V263 to cnx. The aircraft confirmed he was on a vector to join V263. I was about to be relieved for training and as I started my briefing I noticed aircraft X in the 12;000 block; now east of V263 centerline. I told aircraft X he was inside high terrain and turned him to a 160 heading immediately. The turn issued was below the mia block and no low altitude alert was given. My main priority was to get him away from the mountains he was heading into. I understand I should have given him low altitude alert and not good that I turned him below mia. The airway abq.V263.cnx travels south east from abq and makes a turn to the east towards cnx; about a 60 ish degree turn. My guess is aircraft X was planning on joining V263 inbound towards cnx instead of abq southbound and making that turn. Could have been a miscommunication on where to join V263 or an error on aircraft X.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Center Controller reported they observed an aircraft fail to intercept an airway and flew below the Minimum IFR Altitude.

Narrative: I took a handoff on Aircraft X at 11;000 coming from ABQ TRACON. The aircraft checked in and I gave him the altimeter as well as described moderate precipitation depicted on my scope. I also advised the aircraft of icing in the higher altitudes in the event he got into it and to advise if he needed deviations. The flight plan showed the aircraft ABQ.V263.CNX. V263 has a lower MIA and allows for 11;000. East of V263 MIA is 12;000. When I took the hand off Aircraft X was west of V263 so I assumed he was given a vector to intercept the airway. As the aircraft got closer to V263 and observed him [to] be a potential problem with 12;000 terrain block; I verified he was cleared V263 to CNX. The aircraft confirmed he was on a vector to join V263. I was about to be relieved for training and as I started my briefing I noticed Aircraft X in the 12;000 block; now east of V263 centerline. I told Aircraft X he was inside high terrain and turned him to a 160 heading immediately. The turn issued was below the MIA block and no Low Altitude Alert was given. My main priority was to get him away from the mountains he was heading into. I understand I should have given him low altitude alert and not good that I turned him below MIA. The airway ABQ.V263.CNX travels south east from ABQ and makes a turn to the east towards CNX; about a 60 ish degree turn. My guess is Aircraft X was planning on joining V263 inbound towards CNX instead of ABQ southbound and making that turn. Could have been a miscommunication on where to join V263 or an error on Aircraft X.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.