Date: 201905
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZAB.ARTCC, NM
Flight conditions: Marginal
Weather elements / visibility: Thunderstorm
Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing
Operator: Other All
Flight plan: IFR
Flight phase: Climb; Cruise; Descent
Airspace: Class A ZAB
ATC / advisory: Center ZAB
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Confusion; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Workload
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Contributing factors: Airspace Structure; Company Policy; Weather; Staffing
Primary problem: Company Policy

Narrative: This was the most dangerous I have ever seen air traffic control get in years I have been here. We are very lucky there was not an accident and somebody did not die or get hurt. The day started off with large areas of thunderstorms causing all the aircraft to deviate for weather into one clear area. The controllers worked over two hours; we worked red sectors the entire night. At one point a controller working a sector said he didn't know what was going on. He had a tracker and an assist side and was still red with nothing else to split. Our management as well as TMU (Traffic Management Unit) knew about this weather since the day before from what we were told. One of the TMU Supervisors told a controller that the next day was going to be bad. This sector was pretty much red (over the designated limit of number of airplanes) on the TSD (Traffic Situational Display) all night; with no help from anybody. Another sector was also split and was red and yellow all night. And another was the same red and yellow pretty much the entire night. Our management had no idea how to handle the situation our Supervisors and OM (Operational Manager) are so removed from the area they don't know how to help us on sectors that they are not certified on. Our OM this evening around X o'clock came down to work the row and made the Supervisor plug-in and work a position because at this point if I recall there was nobody on break. We were so saturated this night I don't even remember if I went over two hours. I'm confident I did. I do know that plenty of us did go over 2 hours after the night was over. Around XA:30 I was plugged in working my sector. I had roughly been there for about an hour and a half. I was working the sector by itself and I was working traffic deviating around weather. At this point in the night I was feeling tired and beat down. The sector directly above me with the Supervisor working had a report of severe turbulence at 39000 feet and moderate turbulence at 37000 feet. His aircraft started to descend to prepare to come into my airspace. By this point I was saturated trying to pre plan to get his guys out of the severe and moderate turbulence and to blend them with my traffic. I called the adjacent Center and told the controller I cannot take anymore westbound aircraft. We had a report of severe turbulence and I'm trying to get guys down out of that and I'm saturated. The adjacent Center controller was very combative and was not complying with what I was asking him to do. I tried to get back to working my aircraft and the controller was still coming at me and was just not being helpful. At one point he told me if I'm not gonna take his he's not gonna take mine. The safety event occurred with an aircraft after I asked them to hold them that he ran into my air space at 34;000 feet with no handoff or point out. I had to turn my aircraft that was climbing to 35;000 feet to avoid that aircraft. Action was taken by myself when conflict alert went off with the other traffic. Prior to this after I asked them to hold; I told the OM; I shut Houston off; you need to call the Supervisor; I need to get caught up and I need help now. At one point after that she came behind me and asked me something about my judgment. I responded back to her I cannot take anymore aircraft from the other Center; I need to get my sector under control and get it safe and manageable. Do you want me to take the handoffs and hope I don't have a deal? I was very busy still at this moment. I was trying to get the sector under control. She had no idea what to do I had to prompt her to call the Houston Supervisor again. When I went and I looked back to see what she was doing she was working an Assist for another sector not concerned about my position at all. The adjacent Center did not spin the aircraft when I asked them to; they kept driving them towards my sector and I believe violated me a couple of times. They eventually did start to turn out but it was right on the boundary and was too late. One of the hardest parts was dealing with the other Center controller. He was very upset and I understand we both had a lot of volume. Safety was compromised this night; safety was not a priority. Our traffic management as well as our FAA management knew about this the day before. Please look up and see how the night was ran from X o'clock until X a.m. You will see lack of leadership; safety being completely disregarded. We had no help from our management during this night shift. This was the most dangerous night I have ever seen in years. Very disappointing and scary. We needed help from the beginning of our shift and received no help or direction from our OM. Our Supervisors and our OM's have no idea how certain positions work because they don't have certifications on them. We have some Supervisors who only have one Assist position. How are we expected for a Supervisor with one position to lead us and expect them to know how the area runs? We have Supervisors who react and are not proactive; because they run the area off of the TSD because that's all they know how to do. We don't know the other positions they don't have certifications on.




Synopsis: ZAB Controller reported a shift working sectors alone that were unsafe due to being over-saturated with traffic deviating for weather and the adjacent facility sector allowing airplanes to enter their airspace even though the reporter was not accepting the handoffs and had told the facility they could not accept anymore aircraft.