ZNY experienced operational error at FL240 during short notice holding.

Attributes
ACN	610894
Time
Date	200403
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : ptw.vortac
State Reference	PA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 23500 msl bound upper : 24000
Environment
Weather Elements	Turbulence
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zny.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	EMB ERJ 145 ER&LR
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude cruise : holding
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zny.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Route In Use	departure : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : radar
Qualification	controller : radar
Experience	controller radar : 6 controller time certified in position1 : 6
ASRS Report	610894
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : required legal separation
Independent Detector	atc equipment : conflict alert other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	faa : investigated
Miss Distance	horizontal : 24000 vertical : 500
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Airspace Structure ATC Human Performance
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error

Narrative:

Problem arose with a large volume of traffic on one airway. One sector gets too busy and stops traffic from the previous sector. Sectors with large volume of traffic are put into a no notice hold and must spin traffic with no holding patterns in sector. In the chaos with new equipment (scopes) the reported altitude disappears leaving only the interim assigned altitude. Aircraft is climbed to the interim altitude of aircraft #1, but aircraft #1 is at FL240 instead of FL260. Conflict alert began to flash as aircraft passed going in opposite directions. Traffic should be regulated so that controllers are not forced to go into a no notice hold.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZNY EXPERIENCED OPERROR AT FL240 DURING SHORT NOTICE HOLDING.

Narrative: PROB AROSE WITH A LARGE VOLUME OF TFC ON ONE AIRWAY. ONE SECTOR GETS TOO BUSY AND STOPS TFC FROM THE PREVIOUS SECTOR. SECTORS WITH LARGE VOLUME OF TFC ARE PUT INTO A NO NOTICE HOLD AND MUST SPIN TFC WITH NO HOLDING PATTERNS IN SECTOR. IN THE CHAOS WITH NEW EQUIP (SCOPES) THE RPTED ALT DISAPPEARS LEAVING ONLY THE INTERIM ASSIGNED ALT. ACFT IS CLBED TO THE INTERIM ALT OF ACFT #1, BUT ACFT #1 IS AT FL240 INSTEAD OF FL260. CONFLICT ALERT BEGAN TO FLASH AS ACFT PASSED GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. TFC SHOULD BE REGULATED SO THAT CTLRS ARE NOT FORCED TO GO INTO A NO NOTICE HOLD.

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.