Date: 201707
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZAU.ARTCC, IL
Light: Night
Aircraft: Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class A ZAU
ATC / advisory: Center ZAU
Second aircraft: Widebody; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Workload
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: Aircraft; Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: Aircraft X refused a descent clearance. I had an aircraft flying south at 36000 ft and had Aircraft X flying southwest bound at 36000 ft. I tried to descend Aircraft X but he refused. There was no loss of separation or violation of airspace. Aircraft X checked on with the wrong sector and the controller didn't acknowledge him. I had the handoff. Aircraft Y was climbing to 36000 ft and the controller didn't see the limited data tag of Aircraft X at 36000 ft. They started flashing conflict alert and I called the sector to try him again. They tried Aircraft X and he was there so he gave me two physical point outs (since they were both in my airspace); and tried to correct the situation because he was talking to both aircraft. He tried to descend Aircraft X 2 times and Aircraft X said he didn't want to go down because of weather. He turned Aircraft Y 30 degrees right and turned Aircraft X to a 140 heading and I told him to ship me both aircraft.I had multiple aircraft flying along the same route as Aircraft X with no weather problems or deviations. I told Aircraft X he had to descend because (Aircraft Y) was catching him. He told me Aircraft Y could take a turn. I didn't have time to argue with him; he was becoming a distraction. Plus; if I turned Aircraft Y it would've taken a 180 turn to the left to miss him. I told him there was traffic in front of him at 34000 ft already along his route of flight. There were no weather deviations in the Aircraft X's area. There were no blow off shelves of weather. The extreme stuff was west/northwest 100 miles away; plus there was other aircraft flying along just fine at 34000 ft where Aircraft X was going to fly. It took 3 clearances to descend Aircraft X. He said he wanted to go back up when able and I told him I would get him back up. Aircraft X became a distraction. I had two other aircraft eventually coming together and I missed it because of Aircraft X. Luckily one of them asked to climb to 39000 ft and then I saw the potential confliction. I had to coordinate to take that aircraft to 39000 ft because he was a MDW lander. There was also traffic southbound at 36000 ft. If Aircraft X would've descended the first time I would've had more time to assess the situation and taken the MDW arrival down. I also didn't ship an aircraft until he was well into another sector's airspace because of Aircraft X. I left an arrival up because I was distracted by Aircraft X. What if I was really busy? This was light midshift traffic and I missed 3 things because of Aircraft X. I would've really missed way more things with busier traffic. That's unacceptable. So because of all these things I mentioned and having Aircraft X refuse 5 descent clearances from ATC I read him the pilot deviation phraseology. I wanted him to call and explain why he didn't descend 5 different times. I don't know what he said but weather shouldn't have been an excuse when there were multiple planes flying in this airspace. I think he was messing with me because he made me read the phone number 3 times. I listened and watched the Falcon and I annunciated and spoke in a clear slow voice. This also was a distraction because another sector was trying to coordinate with me but I was busy with the dang Aircraft X. I called the traffic at 36000 ft when he passed right under Aircraft Y. The target's just about merged. When he was clear I climbed him back to 36000 ft.I recommend Aircraft X pilot or pilots get some kind of reprimand. They have to be talked to. 5 different descent clearance and 5 refusals. He distracted me from other traffic. He was unprofessional. I've had planes in the past not want to descend with real weather right by them and I accommodated them but not like this. Look at the weather on the Falcon replay. Look at the planes flying where this guy was flying. In all most 26 years of working air traffic I have never had this happen. It is unacceptable for a pilot to keep questioning clearances with known traffic at the same altitude. We can't have other pilots start doing this. This would become a breakdown in air traffic. These two planes came close together; they were even flashing. We're here to prevent a collision not to get grief from a pilot because he doesn't want to descend 2000 ft.




Synopsis: ZAU Center Controller reported a flight crew refused their descent clearance five times before complying causing the Controller to lose track of other situations developing in their sector.