B737 Next Generation Undifferentiated
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure
I took control of the sector for the late night shift and combined positions. I was briefed that B737-900 was wrong for direction clearly in the briefing. Approximately thirty minutes later; I flashed two aircraft to Oakland sector 'Mustang High'; one of those aircraft was B737-900 wrong for direction at fight level three seven zero. Oakland took the hand off about five minutes from the boundary. I evaluated the data block before I shipped the aircraft and realized then I had forgotten to APREQ the direction of flight. I could have been more vigilant and initiated the coordination sooner. Due to the events that followed; B737-900 entered 'Mustang High' at flight level three seven zero without the proper coordination. Upon noticing the un-APREQ'ed altitude; I initiated coordination with 'Mustang High.' My first call was made to Oakland Center; four minutes before the aircraft entered ZOA airspace. There was no response on the line; so I tried again twenty one seconds later; still no answer. About one minute later; R41 used the provided number at the sector to dial 'Mustang High' on the ring line. Still no answer. R41 had to hang up his line to respond to an aircraft; so after one minute of ringing from R41; I dialed 'Mustang High's' ring line. I allow the ringing to continue until B737-900 entered the protected airspace of 'Mustang High.' I did not change the altitude of B737-900 to a proper altitude for direction because ZOA already had the hand off. I did not turn the aircraft to miss the ZOA airspace due to the 7110.65 requirement 2-1-1 that the top priority for air traffic control is to avoid collisions in the NAS and to provide expeditious handling. I made the judgement that although I may break the requirement of coordinating before the aircraft entered the protected airspace of the next sector; it was more advantageous to keep the aircraft on course. I made the judgment based on the hand off being taken by 'Mustang High;' and altitude information being passed through automation to the sector; that safety was not going to be compromised by leaving the aircraft on course. With the aircraft entering ZOA airspace; I called the Watch Supervisor and advised him that I was unable to reach Oakland on both the dial line and the shout line and ask if he would call the Supervisor to make sure there isn't a problem with the communication lines. Soon after my Supervisor called the Oakland Supervisor; I receive a call on the shout line from 'Mustang High.' The Oakland Controller asked if I had been calling him; I replied in the affirmative and affect coordination for the wrong for direction altitude on the aircraft already in his airspace.'APREQ B737-900 flight level three seven zero.'  The Oakland Controller repeats verbatim my APREQ. I reply; 'Affirmative.' The Oakland Controller then asked; 'Why did you call me?  I took the handoff. He's already in my airspace.' My reply: 'I have actually been trying to call you for ten minutes now.' I ask if the APREQ was approved; he replied in the affirmative. The Oakland Controller explained that he was confused; because I was calling his sector by the name of 'Mustang High' instead of 'Oakland Forty Three.'  A CEDAR was provided near a month ago that some sectors in Oakland Center were changing to named sectors; rather than numbered sectors; to reduce confusion on the shout lines. I have not received a subsequent CEDAR that overrides the first. To my knowledge; the sector is named; 'Mustang High' not 'Oakland Forty Three' as it once was. The Oakland Controller asked me if 'Mustang High' is in fact his sector. I replied that I assumed he would know better than I would; and that I had only received a CEDAR on the name change. I then asked if the dial lines were not operating correctly as I had dialed his sector directly for near two minutes which would alleviate all confusion of who the caller was trying to get a hold of. He replied that the dial lines worked fine; and that it did ring. I shipped the aircraft to Oakland Center approximately ten miles inside their airspace after coordination had been successfully affected.  I personally need to take a quicker initiative in affecting the proper coordination in case something like this does happen again. Had I not waited until the data block was flashed; I would have been able to change the aircraft's altitude without incident. I do; however; feel that being required to change the course or altitude of an aircraft based solely on a controller's unwillingness to answer a land-line is not in parallel with the FAA's mission to provide expeditious and customer oriented service when safety is not compromised to do so. Clearly stated on the line; the Oakland Controller heard me calling. If he was confused by the name of his sector due to the recent change; that confusion was surely dispelled when his sector line rang for two minutes; as he admittedly heard that it did.
ZLC Controller described an airspace/wrong altitude event when the receiving ZOA failed to acknowledge repeated coordination attempts; the reporter noting that a recent sector name change was in part a causal factor.