Medium Transport; High Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Confusion; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Human Factors
There is an HCF ATC Controller whose judgment; situational awareness; traffic separation; radio communication; and performance as a Controller is going to get the flying public killed. Every time the flight crew hears [Controller] voice on the radio; we know we are about to receive weird; nonsensical; convoluted; exhaustingly inefficient; and down-right absurd instructions; comments; and radio calls. On this flight; we had just overtaken one of the [aircraft] headed to ZZZ and were instructed to switch over to 124.1. The check-in was received and [Controller] started talking. [Controller] immediately said to get ready to copy holding instructions. We requested a visual approach. [Controller] instructed us to hold at 4;000 feet; southwest on MKK 236 radial; right hand turns; EFC XA+30. We started slowing; planned a direct entry; turned outbound; only to hear [Controller] say; 'Traffic Alert!' (what the [expletive deleted]; [Controller]?!!! It's your [expletive deleted]; airspace!!! (I thought) Aircraft Y headed to ZZZ coming straight at us. Another 'Traffic Alert! instruction to Aircraft Y as well. Traffic Alert [Controller]. Both aircraft doing what [Controller] instructed them to do; talking to [Controller]; [Controller] steered us right into each other. We lived through it; this time. Somebody needs to pull the tapes. We requested the visual again; and [Controller] dumped us off to ZZZ Tower; who had to send us north of the island to orbit while three [Aircraft] arrived from the south. [Controller's] [Aircraft]? I think the [Aircraft] we overtook from ZZZ1 was the [Aircraft] that [Controller] vectored us into; who then landed ahead of us in ZZZ; even though we got to ZZZ first.
Medium Transport pilot reported issues relating to one Controller at HCF that resulted in an airborne conflict.