Narrative:

The day of the incident was marked with confusion due to numerous frequency problems. Several sectors were using non- standard frequencys, including my sector and the sector I was trying to combine at. There were also non-standard sector combinations creating even more chaos. My only transmitter and receiver were working extremely poorly. When my pvd failed, the supervisor advised to combine my sector with another, not a normal combined position. When I tired to brief the radar side at the new position, he was too busy, so I said for him to call me back when ready. His d-side called me back and was briefed mentioning 2 times that aircraft Y needed to start down to make his normal restr for landing at cle. Unaware that over 5 mins had passed since the computer entry combining sectors was made to the end of my briefing with the d-side and that the receiving sector was already working new aircraft that I was unaware of. There was further confusion taking place after the recorded briefing. I stood up and yelled to the receiving sector to be sure to select the correct frequencys since I was using the one from the sector next to me and they were using mine. That's when the supervisor told me the new sector could not select the correct frequency and I would have to ship all the aircraft to his frequency. So now I'm talking to all the aircraft again. I descended aircraft Y so he could make his normal restr and told the receiving sector. The radar side told me to stop the aircraft at FL270 (the restr was FL240) but I had just shipped the aircraft to his frequency. I did try to raise the aircraft in case he was still on my frequency but he did not answer. The rest of the scenario took place at the new sector where confusion took part again. Aircraft Y's initial check on was blocked out and missed. When he was finally given a clearance to climb, he did not acknowledge but was in a climb. The new controller then tried to descend the aircraft Y, and again climb the aircraft because of the miscom. Aircraft X had been drastically turned, but on his own climbed out of assigned altitude of FL260 to FL270, putting the 2 aircraft even closer together. Supplemental information from acn 331384: the bft and sky radar position were just combined at bft due to an equipment and frequency failure at sky position. Air carrier X, a departure off cle was level at FL260. Air carrier Y, a cle inbound was level at FL290 when the position relief briefing was ended and I assumed the sky position. Because of frequency problems all day, I did not have the ability to assume the sky frequency at my position. The sky controller was advised I wasn't talking to her aircraft. Air carrier Y checked onto my frequency, descending out of FL270 for FL240. I immediately climbed air carrier Y back to FL270 and turned air carrier X to a 180 degree heading. Air carrier Y was climbing back to FL270 when air carrier X said he had an RA and needed to climb to FL270. Operational error detection printer activated.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WITH SECTORS COMBINED AND INTERMITTENT EQUIP PROBS, ACR ACFT WAS DSNDED TO AN OCCUPIED ALT. CTLR TOOK EVASIVE ACTION BY CLBING THE ACFT. SECOND ACFT INVOLVED GOT A TCASII RA AND STARTED CLB ALSO. LOSS OF SEPARATION OCCURRED.

Narrative: THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT WAS MARKED WITH CONFUSION DUE TO NUMEROUS FREQ PROBS. SEVERAL SECTORS WERE USING NON- STANDARD FREQS, INCLUDING MY SECTOR AND THE SECTOR I WAS TRYING TO COMBINE AT. THERE WERE ALSO NON-STANDARD SECTOR COMBINATIONS CREATING EVEN MORE CHAOS. MY ONLY XMITTER AND RECEIVER WERE WORKING EXTREMELY POORLY. WHEN MY PVD FAILED, THE SUPVR ADVISED TO COMBINE MY SECTOR WITH ANOTHER, NOT A NORMAL COMBINED POS. WHEN I TIRED TO BRIEF THE RADAR SIDE AT THE NEW POS, HE WAS TOO BUSY, SO I SAID FOR HIM TO CALL ME BACK WHEN READY. HIS D-SIDE CALLED ME BACK AND WAS BRIEFED MENTIONING 2 TIMES THAT ACFT Y NEEDED TO START DOWN TO MAKE HIS NORMAL RESTR FOR LNDG AT CLE. UNAWARE THAT OVER 5 MINS HAD PASSED SINCE THE COMPUTER ENTRY COMBINING SECTORS WAS MADE TO THE END OF MY BRIEFING WITH THE D-SIDE AND THAT THE RECEIVING SECTOR WAS ALREADY WORKING NEW ACFT THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF. THERE WAS FURTHER CONFUSION TAKING PLACE AFTER THE RECORDED BRIEFING. I STOOD UP AND YELLED TO THE RECEIVING SECTOR TO BE SURE TO SELECT THE CORRECT FREQS SINCE I WAS USING THE ONE FROM THE SECTOR NEXT TO ME AND THEY WERE USING MINE. THAT'S WHEN THE SUPVR TOLD ME THE NEW SECTOR COULD NOT SELECT THE CORRECT FREQ AND I WOULD HAVE TO SHIP ALL THE ACFT TO HIS FREQ. SO NOW I'M TALKING TO ALL THE ACFT AGAIN. I DSNDED ACFT Y SO HE COULD MAKE HIS NORMAL RESTR AND TOLD THE RECEIVING SECTOR. THE RADAR SIDE TOLD ME TO STOP THE ACFT AT FL270 (THE RESTR WAS FL240) BUT I HAD JUST SHIPPED THE ACFT TO HIS FREQ. I DID TRY TO RAISE THE ACFT IN CASE HE WAS STILL ON MY FREQ BUT HE DID NOT ANSWER. THE REST OF THE SCENARIO TOOK PLACE AT THE NEW SECTOR WHERE CONFUSION TOOK PART AGAIN. ACFT Y'S INITIAL CHK ON WAS BLOCKED OUT AND MISSED. WHEN HE WAS FINALLY GIVEN A CLRNC TO CLB, HE DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE BUT WAS IN A CLB. THE NEW CTLR THEN TRIED TO DSND THE ACFT Y, AND AGAIN CLB THE ACFT BECAUSE OF THE MISCOM. ACFT X HAD BEEN DRASTICALLY TURNED, BUT ON HIS OWN CLBED OUT OF ASSIGNED ALT OF FL260 TO FL270, PUTTING THE 2 ACFT EVEN CLOSER TOGETHER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 331384: THE BFT AND SKY RADAR POS WERE JUST COMBINED AT BFT DUE TO AN EQUIP AND FREQ FAILURE AT SKY POS. ACR X, A DEP OFF CLE WAS LEVEL AT FL260. ACR Y, A CLE INBOUND WAS LEVEL AT FL290 WHEN THE POS RELIEF BRIEFING WAS ENDED AND I ASSUMED THE SKY POS. BECAUSE OF FREQ PROBS ALL DAY, I DID NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO ASSUME THE SKY FREQ AT MY POS. THE SKY CTLR WAS ADVISED I WASN'T TALKING TO HER ACFT. ACR Y CHKED ONTO MY FREQ, DSNDING OUT OF FL270 FOR FL240. I IMMEDIATELY CLBED ACR Y BACK TO FL270 AND TURNED ACR X TO A 180 DEG HDG. ACR Y WAS CLBING BACK TO FL270 WHEN ACR X SAID HE HAD AN RA AND NEEDED TO CLB TO FL270. OPERROR DETECTION PRINTER ACTIVATED.

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.