Premier 1
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 25
Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
Aircraft X eastbound at FL390. Aircraft Y northbound direct to a fix at FL390; was going to pass approximately 5 miles behind Aircraft X plus or minus a mile or so. Therefore; lateral separation would at best be 'tight' and at worst would be a loss of separation. Conflict alert activated; and the Radar Controller suppressed Conflict Alert but took no control action whatsoever. The Radar Controller is a problematic employee who has been reported by multiple other controllers plus myself to multiple supervisors on multiple occasions. His control actions and demeanor are not only rude to other controllers and to pilots; they have become increasingly unsafe. With Conflict Alert continually activated but suppressed as shown by the Conflict Alert View on the ERAM display; the Radar Controller continued to take zero action while the airplanes were going to lose lateral separation. He then issued direct routing to Aircraft X; which is probably a 3-degree turn; which would do effectively nothing. I was conducting Radar Assist (D Side) OJT at the time at the sector; and with about 1 minute before lateral separation was going to be likely lost and still no action taken and with conflict alert still 'active' but suppressed; I asked the Radar Controller to turn Aircraft Y. He said it was not necessary.I lost it. I immediately told him; and I quote to the best of my ability here; 'The airplanes are running together. I'm part of the [expletive] sector team. Turn the [expletive] Aircraft Y.' This from a guy in the area who is known to NOT curse. He then casually turned Aircraft Y 20 degrees left. Shortly thereafter; we were able to go to one person at the sector; and I spoke to the Operations Manager at the Watch Desk about the incident; and shortly after that was able to speak to the Supervisor. I reported to both of them in polite but firm language that this employee is; in my opinion and apparently in the opinion of others; becoming a deliberately negligent Controller who is unwilling to take even basic steps to separate aircraft. If the FAA allows a Controller to deliberately suppress conflict alert and let two airplanes lose standard separation while taking essentially no action other than one 3-degree turn late in the process with light traffic and no meaningful complexity; with a Controller who is being reported to multiple management people by multiple Controllers for multiple incidents; then what will it take to have this Controller's behavior addressed? An accident? To be clear. This is an ongoing problem with a deliberately negligent Controller. This is an ongoing problem with a deliberately negligent Controller. It may take serious personnel actions to address this Controller's attitude problems. Suspension? Termination?
A ZID Controller reported he observed another Controller deliberately allow two airplanes to approach with less than required separation even after the conflict was pointed out to them.