Narrative:

Traffic was moderate, WX was VFR with strong westerly winds. The inbound ATR was assigned a 100 degree heading as a vector for a left downwind to a visual approach and descended from 11000 ft to 5000 ft. The departure aircraft, a PA31, was assigned a 250 degree heading to clear the departure corridor and for an unrestr climb to 6000 ft. The vector on the arriving aircraft kept it approximately 7 mi south of the airport on an easterly heading. During the time period I was assigned this position, it was being reported that my xmissions were fading in and out and it was necessary in many instances to make transmission twice. I asked the watch supervisor for a new headset, thinking it might be the cause of the frequency problem, and was informed that there were no new headsets in the facility. At the same time, I started to lose radio communications with several aircraft on my frequency. The problem was reported to airways facilities and logged in the daily log. Because of this frequency problem, I was spending more time than usual making sure aircraft received and understood my instructions. This resulted in slowing down my scan of the airspace. The heading assigned aircraft Y was, under normal operation, sufficient to keep it well north of inbound aircraft X. On this afternoon, however, a stronger than usual wind was coming out of the northwest that caused aircraft Y to 235 degrees over the ground instead of the 250 degrees I had planned. When aircraft Y departed alb for some reason, its ARTS tag dropped. Local also notified me of this fact. In addition, I had the data person working on getting the information back into the system so we could begin tracking. During the same period, I had a similar sized aircraft on a vector to the southwest of alb and the assigned track for it was not working. I adjusted the clearance so the course would take the aircraft to the designated airway and at that moment realized that this might be affecting aircraft Y. I took a look at aircraft Y to see how the assigned heading was working. I still had no ARTS tag but was tracking the target. Separation was going to be lost and at that instant I initiated a turn to 60 degrees for the ATR (160 degrees) and a turn of 60 degrees for the PA31 (310 degrees). The ATR in response to an RA continued its descent to 4000 ft. I believe the contributing factor here was my not scanning the sector with enough frequency to see the situation developing. The underlying problem with the frequency and communication between the sector and the aircraft caused me to spend more time than usual on each control action. The strong northwest winds, which I had observed affecting other aircraft up to that point, did affect the PA31.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: APCH CTLR VECTORING AN INBOUND ATR42 FOR A VISUAL APCH ASSIGNS A HDG TO PROTECT A PA31 DEPARTING. CTLR FAILS TO CONSIDER STRONG NW WIND WHEN VECTOR HDGS WERE ISSUED.

Narrative: TFC WAS MODERATE, WX WAS VFR WITH STRONG WESTERLY WINDS. THE INBOUND ATR WAS ASSIGNED A 100 DEG HDG AS A VECTOR FOR A L DOWNWIND TO A VISUAL APCH AND DSNDED FROM 11000 FT TO 5000 FT. THE DEP ACFT, A PA31, WAS ASSIGNED A 250 DEG HDG TO CLR THE DEP CORRIDOR AND FOR AN UNRESTR CLB TO 6000 FT. THE VECTOR ON THE ARRIVING ACFT KEPT IT APPROX 7 MI S OF THE ARPT ON AN EASTERLY HDG. DURING THE TIME PERIOD I WAS ASSIGNED THIS POS, IT WAS BEING RPTED THAT MY XMISSIONS WERE FADING IN AND OUT AND IT WAS NECESSARY IN MANY INSTANCES TO MAKE XMISSION TWICE. I ASKED THE WATCH SUPVR FOR A NEW HEADSET, THINKING IT MIGHT BE THE CAUSE OF THE FREQ PROB, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO NEW HEADSETS IN THE FACILITY. AT THE SAME TIME, I STARTED TO LOSE RADIO COMS WITH SEVERAL ACFT ON MY FREQ. THE PROB WAS RPTED TO AIRWAYS FACILITIES AND LOGGED IN THE DAILY LOG. BECAUSE OF THIS FREQ PROB, I WAS SPENDING MORE TIME THAN USUAL MAKING SURE ACFT RECEIVED AND UNDERSTOOD MY INSTRUCTIONS. THIS RESULTED IN SLOWING DOWN MY SCAN OF THE AIRSPACE. THE HDG ASSIGNED ACFT Y WAS, UNDER NORMAL OP, SUFFICIENT TO KEEP IT WELL N OF INBOUND ACFT X. ON THIS AFTERNOON, HOWEVER, A STRONGER THAN USUAL WIND WAS COMING OUT OF THE NW THAT CAUSED ACFT Y TO 235 DEGS OVER THE GND INSTEAD OF THE 250 DEGS I HAD PLANNED. WHEN ACFT Y DEPARTED ALB FOR SOME REASON, ITS ARTS TAG DROPPED. LCL ALSO NOTIFIED ME OF THIS FACT. IN ADDITION, I HAD THE DATA PERSON WORKING ON GETTING THE INFO BACK INTO THE SYS SO WE COULD BEGIN TRACKING. DURING THE SAME PERIOD, I HAD A SIMILAR SIZED ACFT ON A VECTOR TO THE SW OF ALB AND THE ASSIGNED TRACK FOR IT WAS NOT WORKING. I ADJUSTED THE CLRNC SO THE COURSE WOULD TAKE THE ACFT TO THE DESIGNATED AIRWAY AND AT THAT MOMENT REALIZED THAT THIS MIGHT BE AFFECTING ACFT Y. I TOOK A LOOK AT ACFT Y TO SEE HOW THE ASSIGNED HDG WAS WORKING. I STILL HAD NO ARTS TAG BUT WAS TRACKING THE TARGET. SEPARATION WAS GOING TO BE LOST AND AT THAT INSTANT I INITIATED A TURN TO 60 DEGS FOR THE ATR (160 DEGS) AND A TURN OF 60 DEGS FOR THE PA31 (310 DEGS). THE ATR IN RESPONSE TO AN RA CONTINUED ITS DSCNT TO 4000 FT. I BELIEVE THE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR HERE WAS MY NOT SCANNING THE SECTOR WITH ENOUGH FREQUENCY TO SEE THE SIT DEVELOPING. THE UNDERLYING PROB WITH THE FREQ AND COM BTWN THE SECTOR AND THE ACFT CAUSED ME TO SPEND MORE TIME THAN USUAL ON EACH CTL ACTION. THE STRONG NW WINDS, WHICH I HAD OBSERVED AFFECTING OTHER ACFT UP TO THAT POINT, DID AFFECT THE PA31.

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.