EMB ERJ 135 ER/LR
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types
General None Reported / Taken
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Procedure; Human Factors
I was working the LAN Sector which is 11;000 FT to FL230. An E135 departed FNT requesting FL240. Due to traffic at 16;000 FT; I stopped the E135 at 15;000 FT. I had 150T in the Data Block with the aircraft level. I started the flash at Chicago Center by pressing 'g cid'. Sparta Sector (g22) is 11;000 FT to FL190. Pullman Sector (g25) is FL200 and above. The automation starting flashing the Data Block at g25 even though that sector floor is 5;000 FT above the interim altitude and Pullman took the hand off almost immediately; which made me think that Sparta took it. Interim altitudes do pass between Cleveland and Chicago Center. Sparta then starting flashing a GRR departure CRJ2 head on with the E135 leaving 11;000 for 15;000 FT. I called Sparta and told them to stop the CRJ2 at 14;000. Sparta then said they didn't have the hand off on the E135 and then called RADAR. The automation issue has been a know issue for years and needs to be fixed. The automation issue with flashing to the wrong sector needs to be fixed. Pullman should have called to ask if the aircraft was flashing by accident instead of taking the hand off level 5;000 FT below their floor.
An E135 was stopped at 15;000 FT for traffic. I did not initiate the hand off. ZAU then flashed us a hand off climbing to 15;000 FT. The R-Side immediately got on the line and asked the ZAU Controller to stop his aircraft at 14;000 FT. ZAU then called back and apologized to me; because he did not see a limited Data Block on our traffic; it was then that we realized that the hand off flashed to the wrong sector. The E135 flashed to the high sector at ZAU because he was requesting FL240. The hand off needed to be directed to the appropriate sector; we did not pay attention to the flash; the fault was ours and we need to be more diligent in these situations.
ZOB Controller described an adjacent airspace incursion when the automated hand off feature initiated the hand off to the inappropriate sector without controller corrective action.