Date: 201901
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZHU.ARTCC, TX
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: A320
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Climb
Airspace: Class A ZHU
ATC / advisory: Center ZHU
Second aircraft: Fighting Falcon F16
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Developmental
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Situational Awareness
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Contributing factors: Airspace Structure; Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: I was training on 59/93 with multiple complex military operations including Crystal/Amraam and AR614. Aircraft Y flashed at me from 56. I took the handoff and Aircraft Y checked on requesting AR614. I told him to maintain block FL230-FL240 and I put in FL270 as a hard altitude and flashed him at Sector 76 because they clear participating aircraft into AR614. 76 took the handoff and I gave Aircraft Y [a] frequency. He requested UHF so I gave him UHF. 76 called on the landline and asked me to try Aircraft Y again because he did not check in. I tried Aircraft Y again and gave him a different UHF. 76 called back again requesting communications with Aircraft Y and Aircraft Y was no longer on my frequency. The AR614 block is FL250-FL270.I took a handoff on Aircraft X from 56 going to Mexico requesting FL360 and climbed him to FL240. 76 called me and said he still has not had Aircraft Y check in on his frequency. I tried to contact Aircraft Y and did not get a reply. We tried him several times. Aircraft Y was orbiting south of AR614 at FL240. We had to give Aircraft X a 180 heading immediately and a descent to FL190. We had to contact Aircraft Y on guard frequency for him to come back up on 59 frequency.The aircraft operating in AR614 should take VHF frequency change. Aircraft Y should have reported back [to] frequency if no response on 76 frequency. AR614 has been a long standing issue in 59 airspace. It is located in a major corridor and 59 does not clear aircraft into the tract. The departure procedures from SAT approach should be through Rocksprings airspace since they are the ones to own AR614. Corpus acts as a middle man in the procedures outlined for AR614 which leaves room for error because if 76 doesn't take the handoff then we are stuck with a high performance jet orbiting in the corridor and we can only climb him to FL240 which is also the bottom of the high sectors airspace stratum.The amount of military operations that we have to deal with on a day to day basis along with heavy commercial traffic can result in unsafe situations. The amount of military operations is a burden to the controllers that have to work it since we are required to bend over backwards for them and they keep requesting more and more. There needs to be better procedures; airspace design; and a limit to military operations in order to assure the safety of the NAS (National Airspace System).




Synopsis: ZHU Center Controller reported an unsafe situation when a military aircraft went No Radio and a carrier had to be vectored away from the No Radio aircraft.