Narrative:

The traffic managing unit gave instructions to feed 10 mit (mi in trail) to lga, from R16 sector to R12. However, after taking 9 of them, my sector, R12, is to feed sector R18 20 mit. Normally there is a 30 min time difference from R18 to the new york TRACON. This time there wasn't. After turning and slowing all these arrs and putting them in trail, R18 said to hold all lga traffic. Air carrier X was at FL250 so I climbed him to FL260 to hold as another aircraft was at FL250. I descended air carrier Y to FL270 to hold. The other aircraft were descending, so I stopped them at FL280, FL290, FL310 and another FL290 I radar vectored away and climbed to FL330. So now I'm rapidly giving holding instructions to hold all at the same fix at FL250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 310, 330. Air carrier X during all this has TCASII alert to climb. He was level at FL260. I said 'don't do this, traffic right above you descending to FL270.' he said stand by. He climbed at 5000 FPM to FL284. The aircraft passed at '0' ft separation 6/10 of 1 mi. Then air carrier X says what do I do now. The ATP says he is to return to assigned altitude. I can't do anything, so he went through him again, to FL260. TCASII should only be used below 12500 ft. If this would have happened 30 mi ahead in the holding pattern, and other TCASII aircraft did the same thing, it would look like a dog fight. I never had time to call traffic, but I'm told if TCASII says do something, they have to do it anyway. TCASII is a disaster waiting to happen. Supplemental information from acn 264987: while en route from rdu to lga on mar/xx/94, we were flying at filed and assigned FL250. While flying the nanci 5 arrival talking to ZDC on frequency 120.37. We were assigned a speed reduction and told to climb and maintain FL260. TCASII gave a TA aurally. A visual check of the TCASII display showed an aircraft (yellow DOT) just right and aft of our position above us in a descent. Within 3 seconds it changed to an RA (red square). The ivsi lit up and commanded a 5000 FPM rate of climb. First officer immediately picked up the microphone and announced, 'this is air carrier X responding to a TCASII alert, climbing out of FL260!' I eased the aircraft heading slightly left 910 degrees) to attempt to keep a slight gap between us and the red square. We peaked out at FL284, and leveled at FL280. Air carrier Y now appeared just right and aft of us, level at FL270. I started a gradual descent back to our previously assigned altitude of FL260. I kept an eye on the TCASII display. The other aircraft remained white, and the unit gave no commands as we went back and leveled at FL260. He didn't understand exactly what had happened. I told him we were just responding to the TCASII alert. He wanted to know why we then descended back to FL260 back through air carrier Y altitude. I told him we had no clearance to be at FL280 and I felt the proper and safe thing to do was to return to the previously assigned altitude as long as I could maintain separation with the air carrier Y. Supplemental information from acn 264733: TCASII gave yellow traffic call followed almost immediately by a red resolution command to 'climb, crossing, climb' at a rate of 4500 FPM. We alerted ATC and a climb was started until we reached FL280 and TCASII called clear of conflict.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR X TCASII TA RA NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC UNAUTH CLB FROM ASSIGNED ALT HAD LTSS FROM ACR Y. EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN CLB.

Narrative: THE TFC MANAGING UNIT GAVE INSTRUCTIONS TO FEED 10 MIT (MI IN TRAIL) TO LGA, FROM R16 SECTOR TO R12. HOWEVER, AFTER TAKING 9 OF THEM, MY SECTOR, R12, IS TO FEED SECTOR R18 20 MIT. NORMALLY THERE IS A 30 MIN TIME DIFFERENCE FROM R18 TO THE NEW YORK TRACON. THIS TIME THERE WASN'T. AFTER TURNING AND SLOWING ALL THESE ARRS AND PUTTING THEM IN TRAIL, R18 SAID TO HOLD ALL LGA TFC. ACR X WAS AT FL250 SO I CLBED HIM TO FL260 TO HOLD AS ANOTHER ACFT WAS AT FL250. I DSNDED ACR Y TO FL270 TO HOLD. THE OTHER ACFT WERE DSNDING, SO I STOPPED THEM AT FL280, FL290, FL310 AND ANOTHER FL290 I RADAR VECTORED AWAY AND CLBED TO FL330. SO NOW I'M RAPIDLY GIVING HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS TO HOLD ALL AT THE SAME FIX AT FL250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 310, 330. ACR X DURING ALL THIS HAS TCASII ALERT TO CLB. HE WAS LEVEL AT FL260. I SAID 'DON'T DO THIS, TFC RIGHT ABOVE YOU DSNDING TO FL270.' HE SAID STAND BY. HE CLBED AT 5000 FPM TO FL284. THE ACFT PASSED AT '0' FT SEPARATION 6/10 OF 1 MI. THEN ACR X SAYS WHAT DO I DO NOW. THE ATP SAYS HE IS TO RETURN TO ASSIGNED ALT. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING, SO HE WENT THROUGH HIM AGAIN, TO FL260. TCASII SHOULD ONLY BE USED BELOW 12500 FT. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED 30 MI AHEAD IN THE HOLDING PATTERN, AND OTHER TCASII ACFT DID THE SAME THING, IT WOULD LOOK LIKE A DOG FIGHT. I NEVER HAD TIME TO CALL TFC, BUT I'M TOLD IF TCASII SAYS DO SOMETHING, THEY HAVE TO DO IT ANYWAY. TCASII IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 264987: WHILE ENRTE FROM RDU TO LGA ON MAR/XX/94, WE WERE FLYING AT FILED AND ASSIGNED FL250. WHILE FLYING THE NANCI 5 ARR TALKING TO ZDC ON FREQ 120.37. WE WERE ASSIGNED A SPD REDUCTION AND TOLD TO CLB AND MAINTAIN FL260. TCASII GAVE A TA AURALLY. A VISUAL CHK OF THE TCASII DISPLAY SHOWED AN ACFT (YELLOW DOT) JUST R AND AFT OF OUR POS ABOVE US IN A DSCNT. WITHIN 3 SECONDS IT CHANGED TO AN RA (RED SQUARE). THE IVSI LIT UP AND COMMANDED A 5000 FPM RATE OF CLB. FO IMMEDIATELY PICKED UP THE MIKE AND ANNOUNCED, 'THIS IS ACR X RESPONDING TO A TCASII ALERT, CLBING OUT OF FL260!' I EASED THE ACFT HDG SLIGHTLY L 910 DEGS) TO ATTEMPT TO KEEP A SLIGHT GAP BTWN US AND THE RED SQUARE. WE PEAKED OUT AT FL284, AND LEVELED AT FL280. ACR Y NOW APPEARED JUST R AND AFT OF US, LEVEL AT FL270. I STARTED A GRADUAL DSCNT BACK TO OUR PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED ALT OF FL260. I KEPT AN EYE ON THE TCASII DISPLAY. THE OTHER ACFT REMAINED WHITE, AND THE UNIT GAVE NO COMMANDS AS WE WENT BACK AND LEVELED AT FL260. HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I TOLD HIM WE WERE JUST RESPONDING TO THE TCASII ALERT. HE WANTED TO KNOW WHY WE THEN DSNDED BACK TO FL260 BACK THROUGH ACR Y ALT. I TOLD HIM WE HAD NO CLRNC TO BE AT FL280 AND I FELT THE PROPER AND SAFE THING TO DO WAS TO RETURN TO THE PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED ALT AS LONG AS I COULD MAINTAIN SEPARATION WITH THE ACR Y. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 264733: TCASII GAVE YELLOW TFC CALL FOLLOWED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BY A RED RESOLUTION COMMAND TO 'CLB, XING, CLB' AT A RATE OF 4500 FPM. WE ALERTED ATC AND A CLB WAS STARTED UNTIL WE REACHED FL280 AND TCASII CALLED CLR OF CONFLICT.

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.