Narrative:

I was working departure and arrival combined at atl. Things were getting busy. Satellite had been open for some time and arrival was taking the arrival airspace. 2 MU2's departed back to back, the 1ST to a destination north of atl and the 2ND to the east. The 1ST aircraft X was radar idented and issued climb to 10000 ft. (All propellers at atl are initially assigned 4000 ft by clearance delivery). The 2ND aircraft Y was not radar idented, but I issued a climb to 10000 ft knowing that there was nothing in his way on the 'noise track,' the standard departure heading given aircraft that are to be worked by departure. After a couple of mins of not being able to locate the aircraft Y I stopped departures so I could give this more of my attention. I determined through questioning the pilot his DME from atl and his altitude, so I began applying non-radar procedures of leveling other departures off below him and vectoring away from the area I believed him to be. Another controller came over to help and through working with the center and having them look for his beacon code, we found him -- not on the 070 degree heading I anticipated but on the 020 degree heading given to departures being worked by satellite. He was on the ARTS ii computer symbol assigned to satellite departures, which was why he was not on my scope. The 020 degree heading was a converging course with the other MU2, which was northbound -- a turn I felt would be going away from the unidented MU2. I gave both aircraft immediate turns away from each other so that by the time 3 mi separation was lost the aircraft were on divergent headings. Technically, this aircraft should have been put on the satellite track of 020 degrees, but many times we try to help out 'quick' airplanes like the MU2 by giving them to departure so they can climb earlier. Also, the strip was sent to departure, not satellite, another indicator the aircraft would be on the departure track. For my part, I issued an altitude change to an aircraft not radar idented. It would have been much worse, probably, to have someone zipping around at 4000 ft. Also, when you're working departure, to stay in your airspace you must keep going up. The satellite controller, I think, should have noticed someone on his symbol, climbing up out of his altitudes, that he wasn't talking to.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CORPORATE MU2 HAD LTSS FROM COMPANY MU2. SYS ERROR.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING DEP AND ARR COMBINED AT ATL. THINGS WERE GETTING BUSY. SATELLITE HAD BEEN OPEN FOR SOME TIME AND ARR WAS TAKING THE ARR AIRSPACE. 2 MU2'S DEPARTED BACK TO BACK, THE 1ST TO A DEST N OF ATL AND THE 2ND TO THE E. THE 1ST ACFT X WAS RADAR IDENTED AND ISSUED CLB TO 10000 FT. (ALL PROPS AT ATL ARE INITIALLY ASSIGNED 4000 FT BY CLRNC DELIVERY). THE 2ND ACFT Y WAS NOT RADAR IDENTED, BUT I ISSUED A CLB TO 10000 FT KNOWING THAT THERE WAS NOTHING IN HIS WAY ON THE 'NOISE TRACK,' THE STANDARD DEP HDG GIVEN ACFT THAT ARE TO BE WORKED BY DEP. AFTER A COUPLE OF MINS OF NOT BEING ABLE TO LOCATE THE ACFT Y I STOPPED DEPS SO I COULD GIVE THIS MORE OF MY ATTN. I DETERMINED THROUGH QUESTIONING THE PLT HIS DME FROM ATL AND HIS ALT, SO I BEGAN APPLYING NON-RADAR PROCS OF LEVELING OTHER DEPS OFF BELOW HIM AND VECTORING AWAY FROM THE AREA I BELIEVED HIM TO BE. ANOTHER CTLR CAME OVER TO HELP AND THROUGH WORKING WITH THE CTR AND HAVING THEM LOOK FOR HIS BEACON CODE, WE FOUND HIM -- NOT ON THE 070 DEG HDG I ANTICIPATED BUT ON THE 020 DEG HDG GIVEN TO DEPS BEING WORKED BY SATELLITE. HE WAS ON THE ARTS II COMPUTER SYMBOL ASSIGNED TO SATELLITE DEPS, WHICH WAS WHY HE WAS NOT ON MY SCOPE. THE 020 DEG HDG WAS A CONVERGING COURSE WITH THE OTHER MU2, WHICH WAS NBOUND -- A TURN I FELT WOULD BE GOING AWAY FROM THE UNIDENTED MU2. I GAVE BOTH ACFT IMMEDIATE TURNS AWAY FROM EACH OTHER SO THAT BY THE TIME 3 MI SEPARATION WAS LOST THE ACFT WERE ON DIVERGENT HDGS. TECHNICALLY, THIS ACFT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT ON THE SATELLITE TRACK OF 020 DEGS, BUT MANY TIMES WE TRY TO HELP OUT 'QUICK' AIRPLANES LIKE THE MU2 BY GIVING THEM TO DEP SO THEY CAN CLB EARLIER. ALSO, THE STRIP WAS SENT TO DEP, NOT SATELLITE, ANOTHER INDICATOR THE ACFT WOULD BE ON THE DEP TRACK. FOR MY PART, I ISSUED AN ALT CHANGE TO AN ACFT NOT RADAR IDENTED. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE, PROBABLY, TO HAVE SOMEONE ZIPPING AROUND AT 4000 FT. ALSO, WHEN YOU'RE WORKING DEP, TO STAY IN YOUR AIRSPACE YOU MUST KEEP GOING UP. THE SATELLITE CTLR, I THINK, SHOULD HAVE NOTICED SOMEONE ON HIS SYMBOL, CLBING UP OUT OF HIS ALTS, THAT HE WASN'T TALKING TO.

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.