Cessna 210 Centurion / Turbo Centurion 210C; 210D
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Other / Unknown
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Airspace Structure
I had just taken the position from a Developmental and his strips were not in any particular order; just in front of him. A Cessna Centurion was en route to DRT from IWS. He should have handed off automatically to ZCH. For some reason; he did not. This seems to be a trouble spot for our RADAR coverage and automation. The Centurion got within 1 1/2 miles of the boundary with ZCH when I turned him to re-route him per our letter of agreement with SAT. When I located his strip is when I noticed he should have handed off to ZCH. I then pointed him out to ZCH and coordinated with SAT to send him direct DRT. This corner of our airspace seems to be a trouble spot for automation. We connect to 3 different sectors with Houston Center and also Houston Approach. We have auto hand offs; but for some reason I have noticed that in this area they do not always hand off. I would recommend getting up to date equipment in this facility.
AUS Controller described an airspace incursion event in a complex corner of airspace abutting both Center and IAH TRACON airspace. The reporter listed the failure of the automated hand off function as contributory to the problem.