Narrative:

The operational deviation involving a H/B1 military training flight occurred along the ZFW/ZAB common boundary. Military X was handed off to ama-lo, and ama-hi did not have flight plan information or a handoff on the aircraft. The controllers involved in this error have all been cited for not ensuring updated flight plan information was forwarded to ZAB. An altitude amendment for military X was made to the original flight plan which included AR114 and exited the west of ZFW's airspace into ZAB. The reason for the unsuccessful transmission message was the pass fix is not adapted on AR114. This condition has existed since around 1995. This problem will be fixed on the next chart date in feb/2000. ZFW automation explained the adaptation error was caused during the creation of AR114, and the subsequent xfer of those incomplete route specifications to ZAB. This example illustrates 2 separate issues. First, that automation flaws exist, and secondly, that the NAS system lacks both logic redundancy and ability to effectively display alerts to radar controllers of unsuccessful transmission messages and impending airspace violations. The current notification for an unsuccessful transmission message that is directed to a flight strip printer is a symbol the same size as one denoting a successful transmission with the exception that the unsuccessful transmission message is in inverted video form. Previously, unsuccessful transmission messages were twice the size of successful transmission messages and were in red to draw attention to them. This symbol changed at the time that the new flight strip printers came on line. The first and only electronic alert message sent to a manual controller's crd (ink-hi) was after the original altitude amendment was initiated. Subsequently, the route was changed on military X, taking the aircraft out of ink-hi's airspace and into tur-hi's airspace. Once the routing was changed, our computer logic did not and will not notify any ensuing manual controllers or the unsuccessful transmission message with an electronic crd message. The handoff for military X was directed to ZAB by a single character -- 'a' (for ZAB). Since only the routing revision and not the altitude amendment had updated accurately, the handoff was directed to the incorrect sector, amalo, in lieu of amahi. Had some automation adaptation been in place to highlight the effected data block, the radar controller would have been alerted that additional coordination was required. My recommendations to update NAS automation include: 1) change the flight strip symbol denoting an unsuccessful transmission message to one that is more noticeable. 2) forward electronic unsuccessful transmission messages to all affected radar assist (manual) position for redundancy to the flight strip symbol. 3) devise an automated alert, similar in principal to the conflict alert, for aircraft that are either within close proximity to adjacent airspace without a completed handoff or that have unsuccessfully transmitted completed flight plan information.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MIL H-B1 TRAINER ENTERS ZAB AIRSPACE WHEN ZFW CTLR OVERLOOKS UNSUCCESSFUL XFER MESSAGE SHOWING B1 ALT CHANGE. ZFW AUTOMATION SCHEDULED TO CORRECT PROB.

Narrative: THE OPDEV INVOLVING A H/B1 MIL TRAINING FLT OCCURRED ALONG THE ZFW/ZAB COMMON BOUNDARY. MIL X WAS HANDED OFF TO AMA-LO, AND AMA-HI DID NOT HAVE FLT PLAN INFO OR A HDOF ON THE ACFT. THE CTLRS INVOLVED IN THIS ERROR HAVE ALL BEEN CITED FOR NOT ENSURING UPDATED FLT PLAN INFO WAS FORWARDED TO ZAB. AN ALT AMENDMENT FOR MIL X WAS MADE TO THE ORIGINAL FLT PLAN WHICH INCLUDED AR114 AND EXITED THE W OF ZFW'S AIRSPACE INTO ZAB. THE REASON FOR THE UNSUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGE WAS THE PASS FIX IS NOT ADAPTED ON AR114. THIS CONDITION HAS EXISTED SINCE AROUND 1995. THIS PROB WILL BE FIXED ON THE NEXT CHART DATE IN FEB/2000. ZFW AUTOMATION EXPLAINED THE ADAPTATION ERROR WAS CAUSED DURING THE CREATION OF AR114, AND THE SUBSEQUENT XFER OF THOSE INCOMPLETE RTE SPECS TO ZAB. THIS EXAMPLE ILLUSTRATES 2 SEPARATE ISSUES. FIRST, THAT AUTOMATION FLAWS EXIST, AND SECONDLY, THAT THE NAS SYS LACKS BOTH LOGIC REDUNDANCY AND ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY DISPLAY ALERTS TO RADAR CTLRS OF UNSUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGES AND IMPENDING AIRSPACE VIOLATIONS. THE CURRENT NOTIFICATION FOR AN UNSUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGE THAT IS DIRECTED TO A FLT STRIP PRINTER IS A SYMBOL THE SAME SIZE AS ONE DENOTING A SUCCESSFUL XMISSION WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT THE UNSUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGE IS IN INVERTED VIDEO FORM. PREVIOUSLY, UNSUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGES WERE TWICE THE SIZE OF SUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGES AND WERE IN RED TO DRAW ATTN TO THEM. THIS SYMBOL CHANGED AT THE TIME THAT THE NEW FLT STRIP PRINTERS CAME ON LINE. THE FIRST AND ONLY ELECTRONIC ALERT MESSAGE SENT TO A MANUAL CTLR'S CRD (INK-HI) WAS AFTER THE ORIGINAL ALT AMENDMENT WAS INITIATED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE RTE WAS CHANGED ON MIL X, TAKING THE ACFT OUT OF INK-HI'S AIRSPACE AND INTO TUR-HI'S AIRSPACE. ONCE THE ROUTING WAS CHANGED, OUR COMPUTER LOGIC DID NOT AND WILL NOT NOTIFY ANY ENSUING MANUAL CTLRS OR THE UNSUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGE WITH AN ELECTRONIC CRD MESSAGE. THE HDOF FOR MIL X WAS DIRECTED TO ZAB BY A SINGLE CHARACTER -- 'A' (FOR ZAB). SINCE ONLY THE ROUTING REVISION AND NOT THE ALT AMENDMENT HAD UPDATED ACCURATELY, THE HDOF WAS DIRECTED TO THE INCORRECT SECTOR, AMALO, IN LIEU OF AMAHI. HAD SOME AUTOMATION ADAPTATION BEEN IN PLACE TO HIGHLIGHT THE EFFECTED DATA BLOCK, THE RADAR CTLR WOULD HAVE BEEN ALERTED THAT ADDITIONAL COORD WAS REQUIRED. MY RECOMMENDATIONS TO UPDATE NAS AUTOMATION INCLUDE: 1) CHANGE THE FLT STRIP SYMBOL DENOTING AN UNSUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGE TO ONE THAT IS MORE NOTICEABLE. 2) FORWARD ELECTRONIC UNSUCCESSFUL XMISSION MESSAGES TO ALL AFFECTED RADAR ASSIST (MANUAL) POS FOR REDUNDANCY TO THE FLT STRIP SYMBOL. 3) DEVISE AN AUTOMATED ALERT, SIMILAR IN PRINCIPAL TO THE CONFLICT ALERT, FOR ACFT THAT ARE EITHER WITHIN CLOSE PROX TO ADJACENT AIRSPACE WITHOUT A COMPLETED HDOF OR THAT HAVE UNSUCCESSFULLY XMITTED COMPLETED FLT PLAN INFO.

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.