A md-80 climbed to FL350 after the TCAS issued a RA climb at FL340 from a target at their altitude w...

Attributes
ACN	1300233
Time
Date	201510
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.ARTCC
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	MD-82
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Component
Aircraft Component	Transponder
Person 1
Function	Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Person 2
Function	First Officer
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Altitude Overshoot Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude

Narrative:

At FL340; we received a TCAS resolution advisory to climb. The red target displayed was at our altitude and appeared to be on a collision course. We followed the RA and climbed to FL350 and advised ATC. ATC advised us that they had no traffic in the area but that we were near military airspace. After visually assuring that there was no other aircraft nearby; we descended to our assigned altitude and selected TA on the transponder. The false target mirrored our position for a while; then disappeared.I suspect that there was nothing wrong with our equipment but that we encountered military interference/jamming.since I believe the problem was external; I hope the FAA can coordinate with the military to avoid a recurrence. However; the TCAS was written up in the aircraft's maintenance log.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A MD-80 climbed to FL350 after the TCAS issued a RA CLIMB at FL340 from a target at their altitude which mirrored the aircraft. ATC reported no traffic. A TCAS Null Bus Fault own ship escape was a possible cause.

Narrative: At FL340; we received a TCAS Resolution Advisory to climb. The red target displayed was at our altitude and appeared to be on a collision course. We followed the RA and climbed to FL350 and advised ATC. ATC advised us that they had no traffic in the area but that we were near military airspace. After visually assuring that there was no other aircraft nearby; we descended to our assigned altitude and selected TA on the transponder. The false target mirrored our position for a while; then disappeared.I suspect that there was nothing wrong with our equipment but that we encountered military interference/jamming.Since I believe the problem was external; I hope the FAA can coordinate with the military to avoid a recurrence. However; the TCAS was written up in the aircraft's maintenance log.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

A md-80 climbed to FL350 after the TCAS issued a RA climb at FL340 from a target at their altitude which mirrored the aircraft. ATC reported no traffic. A TCAS null bus fault own ship escape was a possible cause.