Air Traffic Control Developmental
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 0
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness; Workload
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure
An aircraft entered New York's non-radar airspace; without coordination. I took responsibility for the position a few minutes before the aircraft reached the boundary between Miami ARTCC and New York ARTCC's non-radar airspace. During the position relief briefing the controller being relieved did not mention that the aircraft had not been coordinated; and the flight strip was laid flat. I did not catch it during the relief briefing because it was among many other strips for aircraft northbound that had been coordinated; I did not look in detail at each individual strip during the briefing. My focus was mainly looking at the far opposite corner from where the aircraft was; due to the major weather deviations. I also had briefed the previous controller; that he would need to pass an estimate to New York once the aircraft entered our airspace; because I had briefed the previous controller I had a false assurance that the estimate had already been passed. As soon as I sat down after assuming responsibility for the position; I started to verify that all New York airspace bound aircraft were at their coordinated altitudes. At that time I noticed that the aircraft had not been coordinated with New York; I immediately called the New York sector to coordinate; now about 1 minute from the boundary. New York did not answer the line; after calling multiple times another sector for New York picked up the line and told me that the controller was on another line and he would call me back. I told the controller that I needed to pass an estimate on an aircraft at the boundary; and he replied again that the other controller would call me back; at which point I hung up the line. We were no longer in contact with the aircraft at this time; because the radar controller had terminated radar service and switched the aircraft to Commercial Radio frequencies prior to me assuming the radar assist position. The New York controller called back after the aircraft was approximately 30 miles inside their airspace; the Radar Controller talked to the controller because I was on another line with another facility at the time. The New York controller told the Radar Controller that we had an airspace deviation because New York did not receive an estimate; and the New York controller said he had no paperwork for the flight. The Radar Controller was under the assumption that we did not have to coordinate these special flights with New York due to the paperwork that is distributed to all facilities involved with the operation. He thought New York already knew the aircraft was entering back into their airspace at approximately that time; so he did not think an estimate needed to be passed to New York before he had terminated radar service and switched the aircraft to Commercial Radio frequencies before I sat down.In the short time I have been at the facility I have learned that there are constant issues with all of the Hurricane Hunter/Weather Recon aircraft. There is a great amount of confusion between all the controllers; supervisors; and the aircraft pilots; as to what procedures are required and what is required of the pilots and controllers during operations. I think there should be outlined specific procedures outlined for operations; outlining what is expected of the pilots and what is expected of the controllers during hurricane/weather recon operations.
A weather research flight came from New York ARTCC into Miami ARTCC direct latitude/longitude fixes just south of the boundary then turned back to the boundary then back to the southeast into New York ARTCC all within 15 minutes. The pilot checked in with me about 10 minutes I think after crossing southbound. I got busy with other deviations around and had several reports of moderate turbulence. The aircraft went back into New York ARTCC airspace with no estimate being passed from Miami to New York. There was paperwork at the sectors with exactly what he was doing. When I realized that the aircraft was crossing into New York airspace without an estimate; I told my Radar Assist to call but New York was too busy to answer the phone; finally after the aircraft was 20 miles inside their airspace; New York answered and said that they had no paperwork on the flight and we had violated their airspace.When there are [weather research] flights flying every facility involved should have paperwork.
ARTCC Controller reported relieving a position; but did not initially catch that an aircraft had not been coordinated with its next ARTCC. The error was caught only a minute before the aircraft crossed the boundary and the receiving ARTCC Controller could not be contacted before the aircraft crossed the boundary resulting in an airspace deviation.