Helicopter
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 10
Confusion; Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Airspace Structure; Aircraft; Company Policy; Chart Or Publication; Procedure; Human Factors
Aircraft X was a helicopter eastbound on an airway. ZSU has a jump zone for paradrops on the airway and on the edge of an enroute sector and an approach sector. The Minimum Enroute Altitude (MEA) on the airway is 3;000 feet and off the airway is 3;600 feet inside enroute airspace west of the jump zone. As aircraft X is nearing the eastern boundary of my sector and the western boundary of the approach sector (approximately 8 miles) the Approach Controller calls me for a point out on aircraft Y climbing for paradrops. I advised the controller to hold the jump aircraft because of the helicopter approaching from the west. The helicopter was in hand-off mode. The Approach Controller called me back to advise that aircraft Y was not responding and turn the helicopter north. I had to turn the helicopter 50 degrees north; off the airway to avoid the jump zone; in a MVA of 3;600 feet. I did ask the pilot to maintain terrain and obstruction clearance.Send this to the local safety council for analysis. I could have called the Approach Controller in advance to give them a heads up of the traffic on the airway approaching their sector from the east. I talked to the Approach Controller after the close call and he said the pilot never acknowledged the calls; only calling back to report that they were descending. The pilot never gave a 'jumpers away' call or '2 minutes to jumpers'.
A Center Controller reported having to turn an aircraft into an area below the MVA due to a parachute jump aircraft not responding to instructions.