Narrative:

While working R58 today; I witnessed the development of a very unsafe situation; which culminated in a GA aircraft entering active NASA airspace. This situation was caused by a combination of several contributing factors. During the entire session; the NASA airspace southeast of omn was active from surface to unlimited. W158A and W158C were active to FL450. A piece of airspace known as the pine low altrv was active block altitude FL190-FL210 unusable in a large portion of my sector. Due to the complex nature of the sua active that day; jax approach was supposed to call R58 for IFR release on all aircraft that would enter R58 airspace. Not long after arriving at R58; while working moderate to heavy traffic with extreme complexity; jax approach attempted to hand off a jax departure to me for which they had not called for release. I asked my supervisor to verify that jax approach was aware of the restr; to which he replied 'they called you and you did not answer the phone; so they called tmu who released the aircraft.' this is a very bad decision. I didn't answer the phone call because I was too busy; then tmu makes a decision to launch another aircraft into my sector; greatly increasing my workload. If I had time for another aircraft; I would have answered the line and released the departure. It is a decision that should only be made by R58. A few moments later; while vectoring an mco arrival to achieve spacing that was not provided to my sector as was required; my workload increased yet again. Simultaneously; jax approach flashed me the handoff on a jet departure off of jax and a propeller departure off of sgj. Again; I had not released these aircraft into my sector. My d-side spoke with jax approach who claimed to know nothing about a 'call for release.' I was now extremely busy with an extremely complex situation developing. I was struggling to get my mco arrs; that came to me stacked and high; spaced and underneath the active altrv. I was forced to put several FL220 overflts along my western boundary to enable the mco arrs to descend. As such; I had no place to put the departures that jax had released without my approval. I climbed the jax departure to 16000 ft; which was my only remaining altitude; as I had mco arrs descending to FL180 and converging. I couldn't get the jax departure above the altrv due to the overflt traffic at FL220 overhead. I was forced to use visual separation over omn to allow the jax departure at 16000 ft and an mco arrival at FL180 swap out. This is time consuming; complex; and using a lot of radio traffic. The propeller departure from sgj I was forced to stop at 14000 ft and route on a 270 degree heading out of my sector; I had no room for him. Just when I thought the sector had calmed down; I realized I had the biggest problem yet. The jax jet departure had finally cleared traffic and the altrv and was able to climb. I issued FL340. I then issued a reroute to a BE20; that should have been issued by previous sector. As that pilot was reading back the clearance; I noticed the GA jax jet departure heading directly toward active NASA area. I couldn't turn him; as the BE20 was reading back clearance. As soon as I could I turned the jet away from the NASA but it was too late; he entered its northwest corner. The flight plan showed the aircraft routed omn.J45.vrb..mynn; which is clear of NASA. The pilot stated jax approach cleared him omn..mynn. That amendment was never entered into the computer by jax. This whole session was a disaster. Luckily no one got hurt.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZJX CTLR DESCRIBED BUSY TFC PERIOD WHEN TMU RELEASED TFC WITHOUT SECTOR COORD RESULTING IN IFR ACFT ENTERING RESTRICTED AREA.

Narrative: WHILE WORKING R58 TODAY; I WITNESSED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION; WHICH CULMINATED IN A GA ACFT ENTERING ACTIVE NASA AIRSPACE. THIS SITUATION WAS CAUSED BY A COMBINATION OF SEVERAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. DURING THE ENTIRE SESSION; THE NASA AIRSPACE SE OF OMN WAS ACTIVE FROM SURFACE TO UNLIMITED. W158A AND W158C WERE ACTIVE TO FL450. A PIECE OF AIRSPACE KNOWN AS THE PINE LOW ALTRV WAS ACTIVE BLOCK ALT FL190-FL210 UNUSABLE IN A LARGE PORTION OF MY SECTOR. DUE TO THE COMPLEX NATURE OF THE SUA ACTIVE THAT DAY; JAX APCH WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL R58 FOR IFR RELEASE ON ALL ACFT THAT WOULD ENTER R58 AIRSPACE. NOT LONG AFTER ARRIVING AT R58; WHILE WORKING MODERATE TO HVY TFC WITH EXTREME COMPLEXITY; JAX APCH ATTEMPTED TO HAND OFF A JAX DEP TO ME FOR WHICH THEY HAD NOT CALLED FOR RELEASE. I ASKED MY SUPVR TO VERIFY THAT JAX APCH WAS AWARE OF THE RESTR; TO WHICH HE REPLIED 'THEY CALLED YOU AND YOU DID NOT ANSWER THE PHONE; SO THEY CALLED TMU WHO RELEASED THE ACFT.' THIS IS A VERY BAD DECISION. I DIDN'T ANSWER THE PHONE CALL BECAUSE I WAS TOO BUSY; THEN TMU MAKES A DECISION TO LAUNCH ANOTHER ACFT INTO MY SECTOR; GREATLY INCREASING MY WORKLOAD. IF I HAD TIME FOR ANOTHER ACFT; I WOULD HAVE ANSWERED THE LINE AND RELEASED THE DEP. IT IS A DECISION THAT SHOULD ONLY BE MADE BY R58. A FEW MOMENTS LATER; WHILE VECTORING AN MCO ARR TO ACHIEVE SPACING THAT WAS NOT PROVIDED TO MY SECTOR AS WAS REQUIRED; MY WORKLOAD INCREASED YET AGAIN. SIMULTANEOUSLY; JAX APCH FLASHED ME THE HDOF ON A JET DEP OFF OF JAX AND A PROP DEP OFF OF SGJ. AGAIN; I HAD NOT RELEASED THESE ACFT INTO MY SECTOR. MY D-SIDE SPOKE WITH JAX APCH WHO CLAIMED TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT A 'CALL FOR RELEASE.' I WAS NOW EXTREMELY BUSY WITH AN EXTREMELY COMPLEX SITUATION DEVELOPING. I WAS STRUGGLING TO GET MY MCO ARRS; THAT CAME TO ME STACKED AND HIGH; SPACED AND UNDERNEATH THE ACTIVE ALTRV. I WAS FORCED TO PUT SEVERAL FL220 OVERFLTS ALONG MY WESTERN BOUNDARY TO ENABLE THE MCO ARRS TO DSND. AS SUCH; I HAD NO PLACE TO PUT THE DEPS THAT JAX HAD RELEASED WITHOUT MY APPROVAL. I CLBED THE JAX DEP TO 16000 FT; WHICH WAS MY ONLY REMAINING ALT; AS I HAD MCO ARRS DSNDING TO FL180 AND CONVERGING. I COULDN'T GET THE JAX DEP ABOVE THE ALTRV DUE TO THE OVERFLT TFC AT FL220 OVERHEAD. I WAS FORCED TO USE VISUAL SEPARATION OVER OMN TO ALLOW THE JAX DEP AT 16000 FT AND AN MCO ARR AT FL180 SWAP OUT. THIS IS TIME CONSUMING; COMPLEX; AND USING A LOT OF RADIO TFC. THE PROP DEP FROM SGJ I WAS FORCED TO STOP AT 14000 FT AND RTE ON A 270 DEG HDG OUT OF MY SECTOR; I HAD NO ROOM FOR HIM. JUST WHEN I THOUGHT THE SECTOR HAD CALMED DOWN; I REALIZED I HAD THE BIGGEST PROB YET. THE JAX JET DEP HAD FINALLY CLRED TFC AND THE ALTRV AND WAS ABLE TO CLB. I ISSUED FL340. I THEN ISSUED A REROUTE TO A BE20; THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ISSUED BY PREVIOUS SECTOR. AS THAT PLT WAS READING BACK THE CLRNC; I NOTICED THE GA JAX JET DEP HEADING DIRECTLY TOWARD ACTIVE NASA AREA. I COULDN'T TURN HIM; AS THE BE20 WAS READING BACK CLRNC. AS SOON AS I COULD I TURNED THE JET AWAY FROM THE NASA BUT IT WAS TOO LATE; HE ENTERED ITS NW CORNER. THE FLT PLAN SHOWED THE ACFT ROUTED OMN.J45.VRB..MYNN; WHICH IS CLR OF NASA. THE PLT STATED JAX APCH CLRED HIM OMN..MYNN. THAT AMENDMENT WAS NEVER ENTERED INTO THE COMPUTER BY JAX. THIS WHOLE SESSION WAS A DISASTER. LUCKILY NO ONE GOT HURT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.