B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 25
Confusion; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory
Human Factors; Procedure
This flight was a departure from EWR cleared to 6;000 via the ELVAE [transition]. Aircraft was turned over to me climbing to 6;000 as per the SOP. At the time I was vectoring for 10 Miles In Trail (MIT) in trail via WHITE waypoint with normal exclusions. At one point; I mistook this aircraft for a LGA departure that would have been at 12;000 (and therefore above the LGA arrival corridor) and climbed him to 17;000 and cleared direct COL. A few seconds later I noticed this aircraft climbing through LGA arrival airspace through 8;500 towards traffic at 10;000. I descended the traffic back to 6;000 and he encountered an additional arrival at 7;000.
Approaching ELVAE and 6;000 feet; received instruction to climb and maintain 17;000 feet; expedite through 12;000 feet. Passing 8;500 feet received RA and began immediate descent and at same time received ATC instruction to descend to 7;000 feet; followed by an expedite to 6;000 feet. That aircraft went behind and above us. As we were descending we were given a turn to the right which turned us toward another aircraft at 7;000 feet. Leveled at 6;000; took a breath; then we're given ATC instructions to go direct to WHITE; climb to 17;000; and a frequency change. Everything happened so quickly that we never even had time to report the RA to initial ATC frequency.
While controlling a departing aircraft; Controller mistook another target for the aircraft and issued a clearance to the aircraft to continue climb and departure vector. This confusion resulted in an airborne conflict and TCAS RA involving the other aircraft. During the RA maneuver and subsequent ATC descent instructions the subject aircraft encountered an arrival aircraft at the same altitude.