Super King Air 350
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Human Factors
A Super King Air 350 was level flight level 220 direct to T82. I had the data block in RADAR handoff status to Stonewall Low (H50) I waited until approximately 2 minutes from the common ZHU/ZFW boundary to call for a handoff. The Controller would not answer the land line. I stated over the land line that I was about to spin the aircraft. H50 still wouldn't answer the landline nor take the handoff; so I turned the aircraft to a 330 heading to contain the aircraft. I had pointed out the aircraft to Ednas Low (62) for that the aircraft flight entered the southeastern portion of their airspace. I call Sector 62 and informed them that I was giving the aircraft a 360 degree turn because H50 wouldn't take the handoff. I told my Supervisor of the situation he called Houston Center. I continued to make repeated calls to H50; but they still would not take the handoff or answer the land line. I called an adjacent sector to them Bergstrom low (H96) and ask him if he would ask H50 to take the handoff and give me a call. The Controller told me that they were training on H50 and that they were very busy. I asked my Supervisor if he would call Houston Center and ask the Supervisor to ask the Controller to give me a call for that I need to know what they wanted me to do with the aircraft. My Supervisor called; I then called H50 again this time someone answered the line. I told them the aircraft was on a 180 heading what did they want me to do with the aircraft. The told me to clear him direct T82. This situation is totally unsafe if they were that busy then the Supervisor should have given them help or at minimum the OJTI should have taken the sector from the Trainee. This has been an ongoing problem with Houston Center for years. No one will do anything about this. You simply can't spin aircraft like this it is a dangerous operation. What is it going to take two aircraft to hit before someone does something about this? To contain this aircraft I issued the following vectors turn right heading 330; 360; 120; and 180 while I had aircraft climbing out of DFW terminal area that I had to make sure they would be above this aircraft. There needs to be some kind of action taken against the controllers involved including Management. Or there needs to be some kind of recurrent training. The controllers in this area simply don't care and their Management won't do anything to make the controllers do their job.
ZFW Controller described an unsafe condition involving an adjacent facility that failed to take a handoff resulting in the circling of aircraft.