Narrative:

I was working air carrier west at FL190. I had received the handoff from sector R21 who told me air carrier west was requesting direct bza. It was not in the computer and he was my control reference air carrier X. I had a pointout on air carrier X and when air carrier X left FL210, I climbed air carrier west to FL210. I told R21 I was turning the air carrier west to bza and issued a 130 degree heading to keep away from air carrier Y over pdz. Then I got a pointout on an air carrier Z stopped at FL200. I told air carrier west to immediately descend and maintain FL190 and turned air carrier west back to 080 degrees away from the air carrier Z I issued traffic. The air carrier west mode C read 19800 ft then started descending. The aircraft got no closer than 5-6 mi, and 200 ft vertically. Conflict alert did activate and air carrier west said he had the air carrier Z on TCASII. This was not an operational error but could have been. The sector 21 controller was new and had been signed off on the sector only a matter of days. His supervisor was standing behind him telling him what to do, instead of putting another controller in to work. The new controller was finally relieved. I believe poor judgement on the supervisor's part contributed to this situation. Sector 21 was combined with sector 22 which is the way it is normally run, at times dangerously, plus the radar resolution was poor with clutter. Supplemental information from acn 434190: we were air carrier west and a similar sounding call sign, company air carrier X was also on frequency. We had just been handed off to ZLA, and on initial contact we requested FL210 and direct bza or ipl (VOR) if possible. The controller soon after, gave us a 130 degree heading and told us to climb to FL210. When company air carrier X asked for direct ipl, she (the controller) seemed puzzled by this request and queried them. She seemed very busy and a bit overloaded. She then made a call to us and told us to stop our climb and descend immediately to FL190 and reported traffic at our 3 O'clock position. We should have questioned the controller when she seemed confused between us and our company aircraft. But at the time she was so busy, I don't think we could have gotten a word in.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZLA CTLR TAKES EVASIVE CTL ACTIONS WITH AN E120 AFTER AFFECTING COORD WITH ADJOINING SECTOR WITH CONFLICTING TFC.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING ACR W AT FL190. I HAD RECEIVED THE HDOF FROM SECTOR R21 WHO TOLD ME ACR W WAS REQUESTING DIRECT BZA. IT WAS NOT IN THE COMPUTER AND HE WAS MY CTL REF ACR X. I HAD A POINTOUT ON ACR X AND WHEN ACR X LEFT FL210, I CLBED ACR W TO FL210. I TOLD R21 I WAS TURNING THE ACR W TO BZA AND ISSUED A 130 DEG HDG TO KEEP AWAY FROM ACR Y OVER PDZ. THEN I GOT A POINTOUT ON AN ACR Z STOPPED AT FL200. I TOLD ACR W TO IMMEDIATELY DSND AND MAINTAIN FL190 AND TURNED ACR W BACK TO 080 DEGS AWAY FROM THE ACR Z I ISSUED TFC. THE ACR W MODE C READ 19800 FT THEN STARTED DSNDING. THE ACFT GOT NO CLOSER THAN 5-6 MI, AND 200 FT VERTLY. CONFLICT ALERT DID ACTIVATE AND ACR W SAID HE HAD THE ACR Z ON TCASII. THIS WAS NOT AN OPERROR BUT COULD HAVE BEEN. THE SECTOR 21 CTLR WAS NEW AND HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF ON THE SECTOR ONLY A MATTER OF DAYS. HIS SUPVR WAS STANDING BEHIND HIM TELLING HIM WHAT TO DO, INSTEAD OF PUTTING ANOTHER CTLR IN TO WORK. THE NEW CTLR WAS FINALLY RELIEVED. I BELIEVE POOR JUDGEMENT ON THE SUPVR'S PART CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SIT. SECTOR 21 WAS COMBINED WITH SECTOR 22 WHICH IS THE WAY IT IS NORMALLY RUN, AT TIMES DANGEROUSLY, PLUS THE RADAR RESOLUTION WAS POOR WITH CLUTTER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 434190: WE WERE ACR W AND A SIMILAR SOUNDING CALL SIGN, COMPANY ACR X WAS ALSO ON FREQ. WE HAD JUST BEEN HANDED OFF TO ZLA, AND ON INITIAL CONTACT WE REQUESTED FL210 AND DIRECT BZA OR IPL (VOR) IF POSSIBLE. THE CTLR SOON AFTER, GAVE US A 130 DEG HDG AND TOLD US TO CLB TO FL210. WHEN COMPANY ACR X ASKED FOR DIRECT IPL, SHE (THE CTLR) SEEMED PUZZLED BY THIS REQUEST AND QUERIED THEM. SHE SEEMED VERY BUSY AND A BIT OVERLOADED. SHE THEN MADE A CALL TO US AND TOLD US TO STOP OUR CLB AND DSND IMMEDIATELY TO FL190 AND RPTED TFC AT OUR 3 O'CLOCK POS. WE SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED THE CTLR WHEN SHE SEEMED CONFUSED BTWN US AND OUR COMPANY ACFT. BUT AT THE TIME SHE WAS SO BUSY, I DON'T THINK WE COULD HAVE GOTTEN A WORD IN.

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.