Date: 201408
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: ZTL.ARTCC, GA
Light: Night
Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Descent
Airspace: Class A ZTL
ATC / advisory: Center ZTL
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Workload; Troubleshooting
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance
Contributing factors: Weather; Human Factors; Procedure; Aircraft; Staffing
Primary problem: Weather

Narrative: Because of weather in and on ATL airport; Atlanta and CLT arrivals and departures had been delayed several hours.  When I arrived for the midnight shift the FLM was about to leave and the sector I was working was getting combined to the high midnight configuration.  The ATL arrivals were not coming on a standard STAR; they were being vectored in through the SID gate UGAAA.  The routing was working ok; but there were 100 ATL departures on the board and weather over east departure airspace.  A80 couldn't coordinate through TMU and neither could Area 3 because TMU went home for the night and our FLM went home for night.  A80; with no notice; said they couldn't take any more aircraft routed over UGAAA and to put aircraft on the EVULE STAR.  The EVULE Arrival was working but then ATL with no notice shut off arrivals and went to west operation.  During this time the maintenance people did work on the VSCS and areas are having difficulty calling us and we are having difficulty calling them.  We now are starting to get full holding patterns and have no idea how long we will be holding.  Because we have no SUP; no TMU; and the VSCS isn't working properly we are having difficulty communicating to surrounding sectors; we need help.  Because it is the mid-shift and we have no SUP and no help; we can't page anyone to come open track or re-open sectors.  The first incident that happened is we did not find out ATL was running on West operations; the SUP in Area 4 (knew and didn't tell us); so we are continuing to put people in the pattern; when we finally find out we are running; I am vectoring aircraft out of the pattern; because I don't have a tracker I turn an aircraft in and descend him.  The problem is I thought nobody was under him; I immediately realize there is somebody 1;000 feet below him still vectored out.  I quickly stop his decent and turn him back out.  I'm now shook up with nobody to get me out.  I continue to get aircraft out of pattern while being shook up.  As we are getting the aircraft out of the pattern we find out aircraft are now diverting because ATL has no gate space.  Because TMU is closed the aircraft keep dealing with Dispatch and aren't responding to all our calls.  I had one of the aircraft coming out of pattern that changes destination from ATL to BNA; I vector him on 030 heading.  I have another change from ATL to GSP.  I give him direct GSP and descend him to 240.  I knew I had the aircraft on 030 at FL260 but the aircraft GSP was descending well and I knew I could give the aircraft at FL260 an additional vector if needed or climb.  The problem happened when I went to vector the aircraft at FL260; he was talking to Dispatch and doesn't respond.  I give the aircraft landing GSP a huge 360 vector because it was too late to stop off and telling him to expedite would not guarantee they would not merge at same altitude.When there are as many arrivals and departures for ATL and CLT; TMU should not go home; neither should Area SUPS.  When there is that much traffic; maintenance should not work on VSCS; when there is weather and that much traffic with no SUP; either the 4-1;200 controllers should stay in area or sectors should not close if we are going to have no SUP or TMU to help us.




Synopsis: ZTL Controller reports of mid shift traffic that was delayed due to weather and the heavy workload the controllers were under.  Positions were combined to normal mid shift configuration but the planes were deviating due to the weather and not talking to the controllers.