Narrative:

I was working the thx-rnd sectors combined with severe WX located throughout both sectors. Sat departed several aircraft (at least 80 that were flight planned out the north gate, because of WX these aircraft all deviated to the east and southeast. My d-side took manual handoffs on the aircraft. At the same time all of the arrs were deviating to the same holes in the WX. While trying to sequence the aircraft inbound to sat and get them below the departures, sat called and said the airport was closed and to hold all aircraft inbound until further advised. I asked the d-side to get some information on the aircraft that we were working. While at the same time I was reestablishing vertical separation and issuing holding instructions to the inbound aircraft. One of the departing aircraft, air carrier X, refused a control instruction to climb to FL230. The pilot stated that he wanted to stay at 13000 ft and turn from the assigned heading of 070 degrees to 130 degrees. The trailing aircraft was about 8-10 mi intrail so this heading change should not have been a factor. In the meantime the conflict alert feature kept going off on other aircraft that were not only separated vertically, all data blocks had the correct information. Because of this glitch in the computer, I had to spend an inordinate amount of time reissuing control instructions that were being complied with. The next time I looked at air carrier X the aircraft was heading about 180-190 degrees with the cpr Y at 3 O'clock and about 5-6 mi and converging. I immediately issued a turn to the air carrier X as I called the traffic. To the best of my knowledge this is what I said: 'fly heading 040 degrees immediately for traffic, traffic 3 O'clock, 4 mi and converging, climb and maintain 4000.' air carrier X complied with my clearance. The other aircraft was on approach frequency and turned also. When I was relieved from the sector, I asked the supervisors that were watching the special event if I needed to fill out any paper work and was told that the phone did not ring so you must have had separation. I do not know if I had legal separation or not, but I do feel that the sector was out of control for many reasons: 1) flow control was much too worried about the WX impacting the iah-hou airports to care about any others in the facility. It was a level 6 thunderstorm that closed sat airport and the associated line of level 4 and 5 thunderstorms that caused the deviations into my sectors without any viable rerte or strips even on the aircraft involved. 2) the supervisors saw all of this going on and instead of taking the rnd sector from the thx sector in a timely manner they waited too long to put a tracker in position. 3) me as the radar controller allowing the sector to get out of control. 4) the computer with the previous mentioned glitches taking up too much of my valuable time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR X NON ADHERENCE TO ATC INSTRUCTION REFUSED CLRNC TO HIGHER ALT HAD LTSS FROM CPR Y. PLTDEV. SYS ERROR.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING THE THX-RND SECTORS COMBINED WITH SEVERE WX LOCATED THROUGHOUT BOTH SECTORS. SAT DEPARTED SEVERAL ACFT (AT LEAST 80 THAT WERE FLT PLANNED OUT THE N GATE, BECAUSE OF WX THESE ACFT ALL DEVIATED TO THE E AND SE. MY D-SIDE TOOK MANUAL HDOFS ON THE ACFT. AT THE SAME TIME ALL OF THE ARRS WERE DEVIATING TO THE SAME HOLES IN THE WX. WHILE TRYING TO SEQUENCE THE ACFT INBOUND TO SAT AND GET THEM BELOW THE DEPS, SAT CALLED AND SAID THE ARPT WAS CLOSED AND TO HOLD ALL ACFT INBOUND UNTIL FURTHER ADVISED. I ASKED THE D-SIDE TO GET SOME INFO ON THE ACFT THAT WE WERE WORKING. WHILE AT THE SAME TIME I WAS REESTABLISHING VERT SEPARATION AND ISSUING HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS TO THE INBOUND ACFT. ONE OF THE DEPARTING ACFT, ACR X, REFUSED A CTL INSTRUCTION TO CLB TO FL230. THE PLT STATED THAT HE WANTED TO STAY AT 13000 FT AND TURN FROM THE ASSIGNED HDG OF 070 DEGS TO 130 DEGS. THE TRAILING ACFT WAS ABOUT 8-10 MI INTRAIL SO THIS HDG CHANGE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A FACTOR. IN THE MEANTIME THE CONFLICT ALERT FEATURE KEPT GOING OFF ON OTHER ACFT THAT WERE NOT ONLY SEPARATED VERTICALLY, ALL DATA BLOCKS HAD THE CORRECT INFO. BECAUSE OF THIS GLITCH IN THE COMPUTER, I HAD TO SPEND AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME REISSUING CTL INSTRUCTIONS THAT WERE BEING COMPLIED WITH. THE NEXT TIME I LOOKED AT ACR X THE ACFT WAS HDG ABOUT 180-190 DEGS WITH THE CPR Y AT 3 O'CLOCK AND ABOUT 5-6 MI AND CONVERGING. I IMMEDIATELY ISSUED A TURN TO THE ACR X AS I CALLED THE TFC. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THIS IS WHAT I SAID: 'FLY HDG 040 DEGS IMMEDIATELY FOR TFC, TFC 3 O'CLOCK, 4 MI AND CONVERGING, CLB AND MAINTAIN 4000.' ACR X COMPLIED WITH MY CLRNC. THE OTHER ACFT WAS ON APCH FREQ AND TURNED ALSO. WHEN I WAS RELIEVED FROM THE SECTOR, I ASKED THE SUPVRS THAT WERE WATCHING THE SPECIAL EVENT IF I NEEDED TO FILL OUT ANY PAPER WORK AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PHONE DID NOT RING SO YOU MUST HAVE HAD SEPARATION. I DO NOT KNOW IF I HAD LEGAL SEPARATION OR NOT, BUT I DO FEEL THAT THE SECTOR WAS OUT OF CTL FOR MANY REASONS: 1) FLOW CTL WAS MUCH TOO WORRIED ABOUT THE WX IMPACTING THE IAH-HOU ARPTS TO CARE ABOUT ANY OTHERS IN THE FACILITY. IT WAS A LEVEL 6 TSTM THAT CLOSED SAT ARPT AND THE ASSOCIATED LINE OF LEVEL 4 AND 5 TSTMS THAT CAUSED THE DEVS INTO MY SECTORS WITHOUT ANY VIABLE RERTE OR STRIPS EVEN ON THE ACFT INVOLVED. 2) THE SUPVRS SAW ALL OF THIS GOING ON AND INSTEAD OF TAKING THE RND SECTOR FROM THE THX SECTOR IN A TIMELY MANNER THEY WAITED TOO LONG TO PUT A TRACKER IN POS. 3) ME AS THE RADAR CTLR ALLOWING THE SECTOR TO GET OUT OF CTL. 4) THE COMPUTER WITH THE PREVIOUS MENTIONED GLITCHES TAKING UP TOO MUCH OF MY VALUABLE TIME.

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.