Narrative:

85% of my sector given away to big military exercise, simultaneous with solid 15 mi wide band of thunderstorms (tops FL450) running from binghamton over utica to saranac lake, ny. Numerous aircraft deviating into my sector on pointouts from 3 sectors south of mine. All northeast bound were deviating northwest through a break in the thunderstorms, so I had approximately 15 aircraft on scope and had to revert to pure vertical sep. Also our traffic management unit was rerouting ny metropolitan traffic into my sector. About 1 hour earlier I had given an aircraft an immediate climb to FL310 because a military aircraft had sloped out of a military block of FL230-280 and his limited data block was noticed 5 mi head on at FL290. I had medium large transport X at FL280 trapped over traffic at FL260 and FL240, who was a buffalo arrival and was vectoring him along the boundary of military airspace for latitude sep to get him down to FL220 as required by the boston/cleveland letter of agreement. I got extremely busy, west/O aid of a handoff man, monitoring all the deviations. When I saw I had latitude sep, I descended medium large transport X to FL220, as I routinely do, and cleared him direct rochester forgetting about the southern corner of military airspace released FL230 to 280. A few mins later, when I realized he was in the block, it was too late to turn him, so I searched for any limited blocks of traffic (there were none) and continued him to FL220 to below the block. Extremely heavy workload, limited airspace, working 2 sectors combined and 4 frequencys with aircraft stepping on each other, no handoff man, I became of victim of circumstances, trapped. It was a sat and no additional staffing was provided in anticipation of the military exercise--and I was on my overtime day!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CTLR CLEARED ACR MLG THROUGH AIRSPACE RELEASED TO MIL EXERCISE.

Narrative: 85% OF MY SECTOR GIVEN AWAY TO BIG MIL EXERCISE, SIMULTANEOUS WITH SOLID 15 MI WIDE BAND OF TSTMS (TOPS FL450) RUNNING FROM BINGHAMTON OVER UTICA TO SARANAC LAKE, NY. NUMEROUS ACFT DEVIATING INTO MY SECTOR ON POINTOUTS FROM 3 SECTORS S OF MINE. ALL NE BOUND WERE DEVIATING NW THROUGH A BREAK IN THE TSTMS, SO I HAD APPROX 15 ACFT ON SCOPE AND HAD TO REVERT TO PURE VERT SEP. ALSO OUR TFC MGMNT UNIT WAS REROUTING NY METRO TFC INTO MY SECTOR. ABOUT 1 HR EARLIER I HAD GIVEN AN ACFT AN IMMEDIATE CLB TO FL310 BECAUSE A MIL ACFT HAD SLOPED OUT OF A MIL BLOCK OF FL230-280 AND HIS LIMITED DATA BLOCK WAS NOTICED 5 MI HEAD ON AT FL290. I HAD MLG X AT FL280 TRAPPED OVER TFC AT FL260 AND FL240, WHO WAS A BUFFALO ARR AND WAS VECTORING HIM ALONG THE BOUNDARY OF MIL AIRSPACE FOR LAT SEP TO GET HIM DOWN TO FL220 AS REQUIRED BY THE BOSTON/CLEVELAND LETTER OF AGREEMENT. I GOT EXTREMELY BUSY, W/O AID OF A HDOF MAN, MONITORING ALL THE DEVIATIONS. WHEN I SAW I HAD LAT SEP, I DSNDED MLG X TO FL220, AS I ROUTINELY DO, AND CLRED HIM DIRECT ROCHESTER FORGETTING ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CORNER OF MIL AIRSPACE RELEASED FL230 TO 280. A FEW MINS LATER, WHEN I REALIZED HE WAS IN THE BLOCK, IT WAS TOO LATE TO TURN HIM, SO I SEARCHED FOR ANY LIMITED BLOCKS OF TFC (THERE WERE NONE) AND CONTINUED HIM TO FL220 TO BELOW THE BLOCK. EXTREMELY HVY WORKLOAD, LIMITED AIRSPACE, WORKING 2 SECTORS COMBINED AND 4 FREQS WITH ACFT STEPPING ON EACH OTHER, NO HDOF MAN, I BECAME OF VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES, TRAPPED. IT WAS A SAT AND NO ADDITIONAL STAFFING WAS PROVIDED IN ANTICIPATION OF THE MIL EXERCISE--AND I WAS ON MY OVERTIME DAY!

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.