Narrative:

I was working the radar position alone, not very busy. ZOB calls me and tells me they can't take any more ewr flts -- I'm in the hold. I had air carrier X 10-15 mi from the ZOB boundary. I also had another ewr flight 25 mi in trail. I turned air carrier X to a 360 degree heading and then issued a present position hold. I had to go back and shut off the other departures below him to ensure separation. I then had to vector the in trail ewr flight down to the south. In the meantime, I had air carrier Y filed gij..klant going overseas. I put him on a 350 degree vector to go around the holding pattern airspace. Since air carrier X was not even in my airspace anymore, I didn't know about the other sector's FL330 traffic. There was also FL310 traffic, so I couldn't descend either aircraft. When the 350 degree heading wasn't working, I adjusted the plan and turned to a 070 degree heading, descended to FL310, the turned further right to 090 degrees. I turned air carrier X from a 270 degree heading to a 330 degree heading. They passed, according to the ntap, 4.6 mi and 900 ft. This was the third time that night ZOB placed us in no notice holding for ewr. It's a very common occurrence and fortunately there's never been an error before this one. However, it was only a matter of time. This situation is very dangerous no matter how many aircraft are on the frequency. Air carrier X did respond to a TCASII RA and climbed to FL335. Supplemental information from acn 455393: I was at the handoff position at keeler sector. ZOB had just slammed us in the hold. The radar controller was vectoring (or holding) air carrier X wbound at FL330. Air carrier Y was put on a northbound vector to avoid traffic. Air carrier X was in empire sector's airspace, which starts at FL330 and up. Below is pullman sector's airspace. When it was clear that air carrier Y and air carrier X would be in conflict, I coordinated a descent to FL310 for air carrier X. The radar controller instead turned air carrier Y east and descended to FL310. Separation was lost, although it appeared that the aircraft passed by at least 5 mi.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZAU ARTCC CTLR VECTORING ACR TFC EBOUND IS TOLD BY ZOB ARTCC THEY WERE UNABLE TO ACCEPT ANY MORE ACFT TO EWR.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING THE RADAR POS ALONE, NOT VERY BUSY. ZOB CALLS ME AND TELLS ME THEY CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE EWR FLTS -- I'M IN THE HOLD. I HAD ACR X 10-15 MI FROM THE ZOB BOUNDARY. I ALSO HAD ANOTHER EWR FLT 25 MI IN TRAIL. I TURNED ACR X TO A 360 DEG HDG AND THEN ISSUED A PRESENT POS HOLD. I HAD TO GO BACK AND SHUT OFF THE OTHER DEPS BELOW HIM TO ENSURE SEPARATION. I THEN HAD TO VECTOR THE IN TRAIL EWR FLT DOWN TO THE S. IN THE MEANTIME, I HAD ACR Y FILED GIJ..KLANT GOING OVERSEAS. I PUT HIM ON A 350 DEG VECTOR TO GO AROUND THE HOLDING PATTERN AIRSPACE. SINCE ACR X WAS NOT EVEN IN MY AIRSPACE ANYMORE, I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER SECTOR'S FL330 TFC. THERE WAS ALSO FL310 TFC, SO I COULDN'T DSND EITHER ACFT. WHEN THE 350 DEG HDG WASN'T WORKING, I ADJUSTED THE PLAN AND TURNED TO A 070 DEG HDG, DSNDED TO FL310, THE TURNED FURTHER R TO 090 DEGS. I TURNED ACR X FROM A 270 DEG HDG TO A 330 DEG HDG. THEY PASSED, ACCORDING TO THE NTAP, 4.6 MI AND 900 FT. THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME THAT NIGHT ZOB PLACED US IN NO NOTICE HOLDING FOR EWR. IT'S A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE AND FORTUNATELY THERE'S NEVER BEEN AN ERROR BEFORE THIS ONE. HOWEVER, IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. THIS SIT IS VERY DANGEROUS NO MATTER HOW MANY ACFT ARE ON THE FREQ. ACR X DID RESPOND TO A TCASII RA AND CLBED TO FL335. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 455393: I WAS AT THE HDOF POS AT KEELER SECTOR. ZOB HAD JUST SLAMMED US IN THE HOLD. THE RADAR CTLR WAS VECTORING (OR HOLDING) ACR X WBOUND AT FL330. ACR Y WAS PUT ON A NBOUND VECTOR TO AVOID TFC. ACR X WAS IN EMPIRE SECTOR'S AIRSPACE, WHICH STARTS AT FL330 AND UP. BELOW IS PULLMAN SECTOR'S AIRSPACE. WHEN IT WAS CLR THAT ACR Y AND ACR X WOULD BE IN CONFLICT, I COORDINATED A DSCNT TO FL310 FOR ACR X. THE RADAR CTLR INSTEAD TURNED ACR Y E AND DSNDED TO FL310. SEPARATION WAS LOST, ALTHOUGH IT APPEARED THAT THE ACFT PASSED BY AT LEAST 5 MI.

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.