King Air C90 E90
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure
I had assumed Valley North position during a relatively busy period; which remained constant throughout the duration of my time there. I had several practice approach aircraft mixed with a healthy blend of both IFR and VFR arrivals to five airports within my airspace. There were mixed flows at the main airports (HRL was north flow; BRO and MFE were both South flow) King Air was one of the practice approach aircraft; and had just completed flying an RNAV Y 31 approach and was executing climb out; requesting IFR clearance to IKG; an airport within KINGSVILLE Approach airspace. I issued the clearance and sent him direct to IKG; climbing to 6;000 FT. I then attended to the other aircraft I had. At some point; I initiated the automated handoff to NQI (Kingsville Approach). I observed that the data tag was indeed in handoff status to NQI. I continued to attend to other aircraft; noticing too late that NQI had not yet taken the handoff as the aircraft was about to cross the boundary. I called NQI immediately on the landline to ask them if they had RADAR contact on the aircraft. I got no response. Although I was already clearly violating the boundary; I went ahead and issued the pilot a turn back to the south. As I was doing that; a voice on the line came on and told me that NQI had closed some ten minutes previously. I was never made aware of that fact; and I was clearly surprised to learn that I had an airspace violation with ZHU instead of NQI. I coordinated with ZHU; explaining that I had been operating under the assumption that NQI was open and I had failed to turn the aircraft in my airspace prior to the boundary because I had been trying to coordinate with and hand the aircraft off to NQI. ZHU told me that they had RADAR contact and I thanked them; put the aircraft back on course and told him to contact ZHU. Obviously; I am primarily responsible for the airspace violation because; regardless of who had the airspace; I clearly should have turned the aircraft prior to the boundary; however; I think it should be noted that I was never informed that the neighboring facility had closed; and I spent some moments trying in vain to coordinate with a facility which wasn't even open. Perhaps the handoff would have been made in time HAD I KNOWN that NQI was closed and I would have initiated the automated handoff to ZHU. It is my belief that ZHU would have taken the handoff well before the airspace violation occurred had it been flashing to them. I question why the automation even displayed that the target was handing off to NQI if NQI was closed? If the automation handoff would have been rejected; then even in spite of the fact that I was not informed of NQI's closure; I believe that I would have learned about it in time to handoff to the right facility.
CRP Controller described an airspace incursion when information regarding the status of NQI TRACON's airspace was uncertain.