Large Transport
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 4
Distraction; Workload; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Human Factors; Procedure
Traffic at Sector 34 was very busy and it required complete attention to keep up. There was a considerable amount of sector to sector coordination to accomplish. There were multiple ATCSCC (Air Traffic Control System Command Center) initiatives out which gave us a higher than usual and unsafe traffic volume. This higher than usual and unsafe traffic volume combined with the agency's de facto policy of not leaving sectors combined when there is not an inherent need to have them split caused this error. De-combining sectors unnecessarily does not provide the experience required to maintain proficiency in all types and volumes of traffic. The radar controller was overwhelmed and had anxiety about meeting a crossing restriction per the ZTL LOA. This led to him taking unnecessary risks which ultimately led to a loss event.1. Stop de-combining sectors and allow controllers to maintain and train on all types and volumes of traffic.2. Dissolve traffic management units and the ATCSCC because they are wildly ineffective at maintaining safe volumes or managing traffic flow in an efficient and orderly manner. Flow initiatives should not cause errors; they should help prevent them.3. In the event Traffic Management is continued to allow to exist; do not put out routes that will increase volume without an AFP (Airspace Flow Program) in place.4. Instead of traffic management controllers talking about non ATC related business; laughing; taking care of personal business and carrying on (I have heard all of these happening on recorded lines and witnessed them in the Flow Management Area); they should be proactively managing the rate at which airplanes enter each sector and the order in which they do so to reduce congestion and organize traffic flow.5. If the next center has miles in trail restrictions; the last sector in the center should not be required to achieve this in trail restriction from three different streams and blend them into one. All affected miles in trail aircraft should enter the center at the same fix.
ZJX Controller reports vaguely of a loss of separation; but his major complaint is about the lack of work and planning that he thinks the TMU (Traffic Management Unit) does.