Aircraft at wrong altitude for direction of flight received a TA command from TCASII.

Attributes
ACN	490753
Time
Date	200010
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : ctw.vor
State Reference	OH
Altitude	msl bound lower : 27300 msl bound upper : 28000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zob.artcc artcc : zid.artcc
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	Citation I
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	climbout : vacating altitude
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zob.artcc
Make Model Name	Cessna Citation Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : multi engine pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 90 flight time total : 11000 flight time type : 1500
ASRS Report	490753
Person 2
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 85 flight time total : 4200 flight time type : 2400
ASRS Report	491238
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : published procedure non adherence : required legal separation
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment : tcas
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to assigned altitude flight crew : took precautionary avoidance action
Miss Distance	horizontal : 8000 vertical : 700
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance ATC Facility
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Unable to contact ZOB after a handoff from ZID, we were left flying level at our last assigned altitude (FL280), heading eastbound on an assigned heading of 55 degrees. (The wrong altitude for that direction.) suddenly our collision avoidance system alerted us to head-on traffic at the same altitude. We had to radically deviate from our altitude to avoid a wbound citation. The radar went out at indianapolis while we were climbing out from cvg. We were being stepped up to FL290 with several level intermediate level offs. ZID became very busy but soon we were told to call ZOB, I was glad to be back in a radar environment. I reported to cleveland that we were level at FL280 on 55 degrees assigned. But the controller was so busy putting other aircraft in holding patterns to keep them out of indianapolis' airspace that he did not respond to us. He said, 'everyone standby, don't call me I'll call you.' we were just passing ctw at this time. We were listening, hoping to check in soon but not wanting to interrupt him, we waited. Those who tried to contact him were told to standby or left unanswered. All of a sudden our bfg skywatch called 'traffic.' it was showing a target at 12-1 O'clock position, and 5 mi, 200 ft above us. (Skywatch units are slow to update the information so I think it was closer than this.) we began an immediate descent, passing about 1 or 2 mi to the right of the other aircraft with an altimeter reading of 27300 ft. We had visual contact with the aircraft at about 2 mi. After passing the other aircraft we went back to our assigned altitude of FL280 and 55 degrees heading. It took 3 more calls to get a response from cleveland. And then all they could do was to give us another frequency. I failed to realize that indianapolis's handoff was not a handoff at all but just a frequency change. Cleveland did not know we were coming, they didn't have a complete strip on us. Had I known this I would have pushed the cleveland controller to identify us or called ZNY to get a good frequency for cleveland.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT AT WRONG ALT FOR DIRECTION OF FLT RECEIVED A TA COMMAND FROM TCASII.

Narrative: UNABLE TO CONTACT ZOB AFTER A HDOF FROM ZID, WE WERE LEFT FLYING LEVEL AT OUR LAST ASSIGNED ALT (FL280), HEADING EBOUND ON AN ASSIGNED HEADING OF 55 DEGS. (THE WRONG ALT FOR THAT DIRECTION.) SUDDENLY OUR COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYS ALERTED US TO HEAD-ON TFC AT THE SAME ALT. WE HAD TO RADICALLY DEVIATE FROM OUR ALT TO AVOID A WBOUND CITATION. THE RADAR WENT OUT AT INDIANAPOLIS WHILE WE WERE CLBING OUT FROM CVG. WE WERE BEING STEPPED UP TO FL290 WITH SEVERAL LEVEL INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OFFS. ZID BECAME VERY BUSY BUT SOON WE WERE TOLD TO CALL ZOB, I WAS GLAD TO BE BACK IN A RADAR ENVIRONMENT. I RPTED TO CLEVELAND THAT WE WERE LEVEL AT FL280 ON 55 DEGS ASSIGNED. BUT THE CTLR WAS SO BUSY PUTTING OTHER ACFT IN HOLDING PATTERNS TO KEEP THEM OUT OF INDIANAPOLIS' AIRSPACE THAT HE DID NOT RESPOND TO US. HE SAID, 'EVERYONE STANDBY, DON'T CALL ME I'LL CALL YOU.' WE WERE JUST PASSING CTW AT THIS TIME. WE WERE LISTENING, HOPING TO CHK IN SOON BUT NOT WANTING TO INTERRUPT HIM, WE WAITED. THOSE WHO TRIED TO CONTACT HIM WERE TOLD TO STANDBY OR LEFT UNANSWERED. ALL OF A SUDDEN OUR BFG SKYWATCH CALLED 'TFC.' IT WAS SHOWING A TARGET AT 12-1 O'CLOCK POS, AND 5 MI, 200 FT ABOVE US. (SKYWATCH UNITS ARE SLOW TO UPDATE THE INFO SO I THINK IT WAS CLOSER THAN THIS.) WE BEGAN AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT, PASSING ABOUT 1 OR 2 MI TO THE R OF THE OTHER ACFT WITH AN ALTIMETER READING OF 27300 FT. WE HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ACFT AT ABOUT 2 MI. AFTER PASSING THE OTHER ACFT WE WENT BACK TO OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF FL280 AND 55 DEGS HDG. IT TOOK 3 MORE CALLS TO GET A RESPONSE FROM CLEVELAND. AND THEN ALL THEY COULD DO WAS TO GIVE US ANOTHER FREQ. I FAILED TO REALIZE THAT INDIANAPOLIS'S HDOF WAS NOT A HDOF AT ALL BUT JUST A FREQ CHANGE. CLEVELAND DID NOT KNOW WE WERE COMING, THEY DIDN'T HAVE A COMPLETE STRIP ON US. HAD I KNOWN THIS I WOULD HAVE PUSHED THE CLEVELAND CTLR TO IDENT US OR CALLED ZNY TO GET A GOOD FREQ FOR CLEVELAND.

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.