Narrative:

After crossing palm springs VOR on sutter 1 arrival into ontario, told by lax center to cross bands intersection at 14000'. We began our descent. Descending through 14500' told to contact ontario approach. I was flying aircraft and first officer was handling radios. Aircraft was TCAS equipped and was operating. Leveling at 14000' 17 mi west of pgs, first officer checked in with ontario approach. Approach asked us again what our altitude was which first officer stated 14000'. This got my attention and I immediately looked at TCAS screen which started calling traffic and a yellow symbol appeared. We were in moderate chop. Ont approach then called traffic to us 12 O'clock 1 mi same altitude. Being VMC I looked out thought I saw something and started slow climbing right turn to about 14300', off autoplt. About this time, our TCAS said 'do not descend.' ivsi showed red 0-1500' and symbol TCAS red. I saw twin engine light aircraft pass off left wing about 1/3 mi or less and about 300' below us. TCAS then called 'clear of traffic.' approach asked us how we were able to do evasive maneuver. First officer said we had TCAS. Approach commented wish we had known that. I feel we probably would have gotten a 'climb immediately' on TCAS had I not started that slow climb when I thought I saw the aircraft visly so because of climb only got do not descend. On landing called ach control and a supervisor wanted to talk about incident. Said they had gotten an alarm because of closeness of aircraft. The light twin had gotten caught in an updraft over the mountains, so he says (twin), and that's how he came to be at our altitude. It was very strong santa anna conditions. Approach supervisor said things were very exciting in control room, and again said wish ATC had some way of knowing our aircraft had TCAS on board. Anyway I said if you thought it was exciting for you, you should have been in our aircraft. Afterthought, TCAS commands are too loud, add workload while trying to communication with ATC and other crew members.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT FLT ON DESCENT AND LEVELLING AT 14000' APCHING ONT WAS GIVEN TRAFFIC SAME ALT OPPOSITE DIRECTION. TCASII ABOARD THE ACR MLG ALSO INDICATED TRAFFIC AND AS CAPT STARTED RIGHT TURN AND CLIMB TCASII ADVISED NOT TO DESCEND. APCH CTLR QUESTIONED HOW CAPT KNEW TO TAKE PROPER EVASIVE ACTION AND WAS ADVISED TCASII ON BOARD AIDED THE MANEUVER.

Narrative: AFTER XING PALM SPRINGS VOR ON SUTTER 1 ARR INTO ONTARIO, TOLD BY LAX CTR TO CROSS BANDS INTXN AT 14000'. WE BEGAN OUR DSNT. DSNDING THROUGH 14500' TOLD TO CONTACT ONTARIO APCH. I WAS FLYING ACFT AND F/O WAS HANDLING RADIOS. ACFT WAS TCAS EQUIPPED AND WAS OPERATING. LEVELING AT 14000' 17 MI W OF PGS, F/O CHKED IN WITH ONTARIO APCH. APCH ASKED US AGAIN WHAT OUR ALT WAS WHICH F/O STATED 14000'. THIS GOT MY ATTN AND I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED AT TCAS SCREEN WHICH STARTED CALLING TFC AND A YELLOW SYMBOL APPEARED. WE WERE IN MODERATE CHOP. ONT APCH THEN CALLED TFC TO US 12 O'CLOCK 1 MI SAME ALT. BEING VMC I LOOKED OUT THOUGHT I SAW SOMETHING AND STARTED SLOW CLBING R TURN TO ABOUT 14300', OFF AUTOPLT. ABOUT THIS TIME, OUR TCAS SAID 'DO NOT DSND.' IVSI SHOWED RED 0-1500' AND SYMBOL TCAS RED. I SAW TWIN ENG LIGHT ACFT PASS OFF L WING ABOUT 1/3 MI OR LESS AND ABOUT 300' BELOW US. TCAS THEN CALLED 'CLR OF TFC.' APCH ASKED US HOW WE WERE ABLE TO DO EVASIVE MANEUVER. F/O SAID WE HAD TCAS. APCH COMMENTED WISH WE HAD KNOWN THAT. I FEEL WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A 'CLB IMMEDIATELY' ON TCAS HAD I NOT STARTED THAT SLOW CLB WHEN I THOUGHT I SAW THE ACFT VISLY SO BECAUSE OF CLB ONLY GOT DO NOT DSND. ON LNDG CALLED ACH CTL AND A SUPVR WANTED TO TALK ABOUT INCIDENT. SAID THEY HAD GOTTEN AN ALARM BECAUSE OF CLOSENESS OF ACFT. THE LIGHT TWIN HAD GOTTEN CAUGHT IN AN UPDRAFT OVER THE MOUNTAINS, SO HE SAYS (TWIN), AND THAT'S HOW HE CAME TO BE AT OUR ALT. IT WAS VERY STRONG SANTA ANNA CONDITIONS. APCH SUPVR SAID THINGS WERE VERY EXCITING IN CTL ROOM, AND AGAIN SAID WISH ATC HAD SOME WAY OF KNOWING OUR ACFT HAD TCAS ON BOARD. ANYWAY I SAID IF YOU THOUGHT IT WAS EXCITING FOR YOU, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN OUR ACFT. AFTERTHOUGHT, TCAS COMMANDS ARE TOO LOUD, ADD WORKLOAD WHILE TRYING TO COM WITH ATC AND OTHER CREW MEMBERS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.