Narrative:

I was working on the radar east sector. This position handles departures, arrs and overflts east of mco. The position was busy with mostly arrs, but there were departures and overflts as well. The traffic situation became very complex when miami center handed off an aircraft from the south for orlando international, which I had to sequence with the other mostly north arrs. When miami center then tried to handoff another aircraft, air carrier X, with 10 mi intrail spacing instead of 20 mi intrail which is what we were requesting, I knew I was too busy to work the aircraft. I asked my supervisor to have miami center hold the aircraft. My supervisor requested this from miami center, but there was a misunderstanding and air carrier X entered my airspace instead of holding. When I first transmitted to X, I turned him right to heading 180 degrees off of orlando international on the wrong beacon code because of a mistake at the clearance delivery position. This resulted in the first departure being automatically tagged on another aircraft call sign and the second aircraft not tagging at all. While distracted with these 2 things, air carrier X was in his right turn and converging on air carrier Y, an arrival from the north assigned heading 180 degrees at 10000' MSL. Air carrier X was also at 10000' MSL, and when I noticed the confliction, I turned X left heading 360 degrees and I descended Y to 5000' MSL. This action was too late to prevent an operational error, so I notified my supervisor and was relieved. The factors that contributed to this error were: 1) air carrier X was not held outside my airspace as requested, 2) the 2 departures with wrong transponder code assignments, 3) traffic saturation, and 4) traffic complexity. Maybe if other people had done their job as in factors #1 and 2, I would have had a better chance of preventing this error. Also, when orl approach reconfigures its airspace in may, this will delete some of the traffic saturation and complexity by having one sector work arrs and another work departures with a split of working the overflts. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter gave yrs in ATC. Says aircraft were 1.5 mi latitude and same altitude at closest proximity. Airspace was reconfigured in first week of may. Now have arrival east and departure east position's. Much better operation now. ZMA controller who changed air carrier X over to mco west/O radar handoff was decertified.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN 2 ACR ACFT. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING ON THE RADAR E SECTOR. THIS POS HANDLES DEPS, ARRS AND OVERFLTS E OF MCO. THE POS WAS BUSY WITH MOSTLY ARRS, BUT THERE WERE DEPS AND OVERFLTS AS WELL. THE TFC SITUATION BECAME VERY COMPLEX WHEN MIAMI CENTER HANDED OFF AN ACFT FROM THE S FOR ORLANDO INTL, WHICH I HAD TO SEQUENCE WITH THE OTHER MOSTLY N ARRS. WHEN MIAMI CENTER THEN TRIED TO HDOF ANOTHER ACFT, ACR X, WITH 10 MI INTRAIL SPACING INSTEAD OF 20 MI INTRAIL WHICH IS WHAT WE WERE REQUESTING, I KNEW I WAS TOO BUSY TO WORK THE ACFT. I ASKED MY SUPVR TO HAVE MIAMI CENTER HOLD THE ACFT. MY SUPVR REQUESTED THIS FROM MIAMI CENTER, BUT THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING AND ACR X ENTERED MY AIRSPACE INSTEAD OF HOLDING. WHEN I FIRST XMITTED TO X, I TURNED HIM RIGHT TO HDG 180 DEGS OFF OF ORLANDO INTL ON THE WRONG BEACON CODE BECAUSE OF A MISTAKE AT THE CLRNC DELIVERY POS. THIS RESULTED IN THE FIRST DEP BEING AUTOMATICALLY TAGGED ON ANOTHER ACFT CALL SIGN AND THE SECOND ACFT NOT TAGGING AT ALL. WHILE DISTRACTED WITH THESE 2 THINGS, ACR X WAS IN HIS RIGHT TURN AND CONVERGING ON ACR Y, AN ARR FROM THE N ASSIGNED HDG 180 DEGS AT 10000' MSL. ACR X WAS ALSO AT 10000' MSL, AND WHEN I NOTICED THE CONFLICTION, I TURNED X LEFT HDG 360 DEGS AND I DSNDED Y TO 5000' MSL. THIS ACTION WAS TOO LATE TO PREVENT AN OPERROR, SO I NOTIFIED MY SUPVR AND WAS RELIEVED. THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ERROR WERE: 1) ACR X WAS NOT HELD OUTSIDE MY AIRSPACE AS REQUESTED, 2) THE 2 DEPS WITH WRONG TRANSPONDER CODE ASSIGNMENTS, 3) TFC SATURATION, AND 4) TFC COMPLEXITY. MAYBE IF OTHER PEOPLE HAD DONE THEIR JOB AS IN FACTORS #1 AND 2, I WOULD HAVE HAD A BETTER CHANCE OF PREVENTING THIS ERROR. ALSO, WHEN ORL APCH RECONFIGURES ITS AIRSPACE IN MAY, THIS WILL DELETE SOME OF THE TFC SATURATION AND COMPLEXITY BY HAVING ONE SECTOR WORK ARRS AND ANOTHER WORK DEPS WITH A SPLIT OF WORKING THE OVERFLTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR GAVE YRS IN ATC. SAYS ACFT WERE 1.5 MI LAT AND SAME ALT AT CLOSEST PROX. AIRSPACE WAS RECONFIGURED IN FIRST WK OF MAY. NOW HAVE ARR E AND DEP E POS'S. MUCH BETTER OPERATION NOW. ZMA CTLR WHO CHANGED ACR X OVER TO MCO W/O RADAR HDOF WAS DECERTIFIED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.