Narrative:

During climb out of cos I was given a heading of 50 degrees, climbing out of approximately 10000 ft MSL, I noticed a target on the TCASII. The target was at 12 O'clock and 2000 ft above. We were climbing at 2000 FPM. The TCASII was on 6 mi range. I pointed out to the crew 'hey look at this guy, he's right off the nose 2000 ft above us.' at that time the TCASII said 'monitor climb' and an RA showed to decrease climb to 0 FPM. I lowered the nose to stop the climb and saw an aircraft at about 12:30 O'clock in a steep turn at about 3-4 mi. The controller then called out traffic at 12 O'clock maneuvering, 'a seneca has you in sight.' at about the same time as the call, I received another TCASII warning. This time the RA said 'descend now, descend now' and it showed a 2500 FPM descent. I immediately pushed the nose over and began the descent as shown. I noticed the target pass right over the aircraft symbol in the center of the ivsi. The flight engineer said she saw the altitude of the target go from 1-2 as it passed overhead, meaning it passed overhead between 100-200 ft above our aircraft. I asked the controller for a phone number. I talked to someone in cos who said he was a supervisor. I asked him if it was normal procedure to vector someone right into other traffic. He told me that he had talked to the controller and he was concerned because he hadn't worked too many B727 aircraft, and he didn't know the climb rate of the B727. The supervisor told me that they looked in their rules and that the only separation that was needed in that airspace was 'in the green,' a term I had not heard before. I asked him 'does passing within 100-200 ft of another aircraft with 158 people onboard considered to be 'in the green?'' he then told me that the controller was a little slow in calling out the traffic and that they had old equipment at their station and made up a few other excuses. I told him that I would be making a formal report because there was no reason that we should ever pass that close to any aircraft no matter what the excuse was.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC OCCURRED WHEN CTLR VECTORED DEPARTING B727 TOWARD VFR PA34. CTLR ISSUED THE PA34 TFC AND ADVISED THE FLC THAT PA34 HAD THE B727 IN SIGHT. TCASII RA EVASIVE DSCNT TAKEN BY THE B727 AFTER THE FLC SIGHTED THE PA34 AT 3-4 MI AWAY.

Narrative: DURING CLB OUT OF COS I WAS GIVEN A HDG OF 50 DEGS, CLBING OUT OF APPROX 10000 FT MSL, I NOTICED A TARGET ON THE TCASII. THE TARGET WAS AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 2000 FT ABOVE. WE WERE CLBING AT 2000 FPM. THE TCASII WAS ON 6 MI RANGE. I POINTED OUT TO THE CREW 'HEY LOOK AT THIS GUY, HE'S RIGHT OFF THE NOSE 2000 FT ABOVE US.' AT THAT TIME THE TCASII SAID 'MONITOR CLB' AND AN RA SHOWED TO DECREASE CLB TO 0 FPM. I LOWERED THE NOSE TO STOP THE CLB AND SAW AN ACFT AT ABOUT 12:30 O'CLOCK IN A STEEP TURN AT ABOUT 3-4 MI. THE CTLR THEN CALLED OUT TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK MANEUVERING, 'A SENECA HAS YOU IN SIGHT.' AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS THE CALL, I RECEIVED ANOTHER TCASII WARNING. THIS TIME THE RA SAID 'DSND NOW, DSND NOW' AND IT SHOWED A 2500 FPM DSCNT. I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED THE NOSE OVER AND BEGAN THE DSCNT AS SHOWN. I NOTICED THE TARGET PASS RIGHT OVER THE ACFT SYMBOL IN THE CTR OF THE IVSI. THE FE SAID SHE SAW THE ALT OF THE TARGET GO FROM 1-2 AS IT PASSED OVERHEAD, MEANING IT PASSED OVERHEAD BTWN 100-200 FT ABOVE OUR ACFT. I ASKED THE CTLR FOR A PHONE NUMBER. I TALKED TO SOMEONE IN COS WHO SAID HE WAS A SUPVR. I ASKED HIM IF IT WAS NORMAL PROC TO VECTOR SOMEONE RIGHT INTO OTHER TFC. HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD TALKED TO THE CTLR AND HE WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE HE HADN'T WORKED TOO MANY B727 ACFT, AND HE DIDN'T KNOW THE CLB RATE OF THE B727. THE SUPVR TOLD ME THAT THEY LOOKED IN THEIR RULES AND THAT THE ONLY SEPARATION THAT WAS NEEDED IN THAT AIRSPACE WAS 'IN THE GREEN,' A TERM I HAD NOT HEARD BEFORE. I ASKED HIM 'DOES PASSING WITHIN 100-200 FT OF ANOTHER ACFT WITH 158 PEOPLE ONBOARD CONSIDERED TO BE 'IN THE GREEN?'' HE THEN TOLD ME THAT THE CTLR WAS A LITTLE SLOW IN CALLING OUT THE TFC AND THAT THEY HAD OLD EQUIP AT THEIR STATION AND MADE UP A FEW OTHER EXCUSES. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD BE MAKING A FORMAL RPT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO REASON THAT WE SHOULD EVER PASS THAT CLOSE TO ANY ACFT NO MATTER WHAT THE EXCUSE WAS.

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.