Narrative:

A citation 550 had departed pou airport wbound, requesting high altitude as a G2 aircraft was inbound to teb airport via V489. Sector complexity was high with expanded in-trail spacing of newark jets in effect (20 mi) and 6 newark jets in the sector. As the manual controller, I was needlessly busy requesting reprints of flight strips due to the poor quality of the flight strip paper. The paper thickness (density) has recently become so thin which is causing the tearing of the paper during posting. Occurrences of this phenomena at this time increased my manual duty workload (estimated a 15-20 percent increase) in time, thus reducing the time available to monitor traffic. Supplemental information from acn 353497: I was vectoring 5 jets inbound ewr airport to give the next controller 20 mi in-trail. My sector was 40 mi long. To add to the complexity I had 2 aircraft paralleling these aircraft landing at white plains. With all of this going on I had to get a C550 climbed to 17000 ft cutting across all of these rtes and a G2 down to 7000 ft crossing the path of the citation. Once I felt I had the lateral separation I climbed the citation and descended the gulfstream. I then dealt further with the ewr in-trail. When I looked back at these aircraft I realized the separation would not be maintained and tried to stop the climb of the citation and turned the gulfstream away, but it was too late. At the time my assistant controller was very busy with flight progress strips and was unable to give much assistance in this event. Radar target jumps are also a problem in this sector which makes running aircraft close to the 5 mi minimum separation more difficult.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ARTCC RADAR CTLR MISJUDGED SPACING BTWN AN ENRTE G2 AND A C550 THAT HE WAS CLBING AND HAD LTSS OCCUR. THE DATA MAN AT THE SECTOR WAS BUSY WITH FLT PROGRESS STRIPS AND COULD NOT HELP THE RADAR MAN WITH HIS SCAN OR PLANING. RADAR CTLR TRIED TO VECTOR THE G2, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE TO PREVENT THE SYS ERROR.

Narrative: A CITATION 550 HAD DEPARTED POU ARPT WBOUND, REQUESTING HIGH ALT AS A G2 ACFT WAS INBOUND TO TEB ARPT VIA V489. SECTOR COMPLEXITY WAS HIGH WITH EXPANDED IN-TRAIL SPACING OF NEWARK JETS IN EFFECT (20 MI) AND 6 NEWARK JETS IN THE SECTOR. AS THE MANUAL CTLR, I WAS NEEDLESSLY BUSY REQUESTING REPRINTS OF FLT STRIPS DUE TO THE POOR QUALITY OF THE FLT STRIP PAPER. THE PAPER THICKNESS (DENSITY) HAS RECENTLY BECOME SO THIN WHICH IS CAUSING THE TEARING OF THE PAPER DURING POSTING. OCCURRENCES OF THIS PHENOMENA AT THIS TIME INCREASED MY MANUAL DUTY WORKLOAD (ESTIMATED A 15-20 PERCENT INCREASE) IN TIME, THUS REDUCING THE TIME AVAILABLE TO MONITOR TFC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 353497: I WAS VECTORING 5 JETS INBOUND EWR ARPT TO GIVE THE NEXT CTLR 20 MI IN-TRAIL. MY SECTOR WAS 40 MI LONG. TO ADD TO THE COMPLEXITY I HAD 2 ACFT PARALLELING THESE ACFT LNDG AT WHITE PLAINS. WITH ALL OF THIS GOING ON I HAD TO GET A C550 CLBED TO 17000 FT CUTTING ACROSS ALL OF THESE RTES AND A G2 DOWN TO 7000 FT XING THE PATH OF THE CITATION. ONCE I FELT I HAD THE LATERAL SEPARATION I CLBED THE CITATION AND DSNDED THE GULFSTREAM. I THEN DEALT FURTHER WITH THE EWR IN-TRAIL. WHEN I LOOKED BACK AT THESE ACFT I REALIZED THE SEPARATION WOULD NOT BE MAINTAINED AND TRIED TO STOP THE CLB OF THE CITATION AND TURNED THE GULFSTREAM AWAY, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. AT THE TIME MY ASSISTANT CTLR WAS VERY BUSY WITH FLT PROGRESS STRIPS AND WAS UNABLE TO GIVE MUCH ASSISTANCE IN THIS EVENT. RADAR TARGET JUMPS ARE ALSO A PROB IN THIS SECTOR WHICH MAKES RUNNING ACFT CLOSE TO THE 5 MI MINIMUM SEPARATION MORE DIFFICULT.

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.