Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 6
Workload; Communication Breakdown; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Procedure
I was working Camrn/Lendy position in the Kennedy Sector of the NY TRACON. We were in the middle of our daily afternoon push and I was feeding Final position the SOP feed for Runway 22L/22R approach. We were busy so we had just put ZNY Camrn Sector; and ZNY Water Sector in a hold and were running traffic from ZNY Lendy Sector. I had numerous IFR traffic on my frequency all descending to the same altitude on radar vectors assigned by me to put in line to feed the Final Controller. I received an extremely loud high pitched tone through my headset. I yelled 'OW' and the Final Controller then looked at me and said 'you heard that too?' I told him I did and we both then realized our frequencies were no longer working. The other two positions in the area did not receive the tone and their frequencies kept working. At this point; I called the Lendy Sector and told them to hold because we lost frequencies. I then proceeded to try our backup jacks and backup frequencies. I was able to get my frequency to work and then proceeded to stop aircraft descents so that I had altitude between all aircraft. The Final Controller's frequency still wasn't working; and neither was LGA Final Controller's; which is a big deal due the finals being right next to each other at the same altitude. Since Final still didn't have a frequency I began to spin the aircraft in my airspace. The Rober position also took some aircraft from me to spin in their airspace so that I had no planes at the same altitude. In the course of planes being vectored; altitudes maintained; I may have entered LIB SOUTH and ZNY airspace; although it did not cause a loss of separation between any aircraft. I don't know why we lost frequencies; but if they figure out why; maybe they could change it so that LGA FINAL and JFK FINAL are on two different sources so that they don't lose them at the same time. The proximity of the finals is dangerous enough as it is.
While working a busy afternoon push of arrival traffic; the reporter received a loud tone in the ear. The tone may have been associated with instantaneous frequency loss. Reporter separated traffic but may have violated adjacent airspace.