Narrative:

First officer was PF ZZZ to lga just passing the ilm fix when we received holding instructions for the diw fix. Instructions were to hold east, on the 090 degree radial, 20 mi legs, right turns. At FL370, our present altitude, direct entry was made, and about 5 mi east of diw, almost on the 090 degree radial, we called entering hold. Speed was 219 KTS, time was XA54Z. We passed diw, autoplt on, and had just started our turn outbound, when we noticed on the TCAS that there was another aircraft co-altitude, head on to us, and displaced to the 1 O'clock position at about 15 mi. The next sequence of events happened very fast and may not be exactly correct. After about 20 degrees of turn to the outbound leg, a very slow turn due to airspeed and altitude, the controller called 'turn right to 360 degrees.' first officer went heading select to 360 degrees. The other airplane, air carrier Y, was now around 10 mi away. First officer told the captain that this did not look right, the fact that the other airplane was displaced slightly north and the controller had us turning across his nose. Within seconds after the first ATC call, the controller then said 'turn, air carrier X, hard right to 360 degrees.' first officer disconnected autoplt, rolled up to about 20 degrees angle of bank, and pulled the airplane into a tighter turn. Due to our weight, speed, and altitude, this caused an immediate decay in speed, and brought on a slow speed buffet. I believe this turn also brought the other plane more directly to our nose, the result of which was to give us an immediate RA to climb. The safe climb zone was sitting at, as the captain remembers, 1000-1500 FPM climb. We never got a TA. First officer did not have enough control authority/authorized to continue pulling the plane into a hard turn, and we were receiving an RA to climb. Somewhere during this, the first officer selected 5 mi range on TCAS for better resolution, and started pulling back on the controls. The other plane was not 2-3 mi, but was just about head-on. As first officer started to comply with the RA, he rolled out of the turn partially to try to milk some climb out of the plane, which caused 2 more onsets of slow speed buffet, never any stick shaker. He had gotten to about 250 ft above our hold altitude, when the other plane passed to our left in a r-hand turn in what appeared to be level flight at FL370 -- our hold altitude. A TCAS warning should have certainly told him to descend, but no indication on TCAS, or visually, indicated this. First officer had pushed up the throttles twice during the attempted climb. The autothrottle started to reduce power the first time, and the first officer held them up against the autothrottle input. He did not firewall, but we were so high and slow, the aircraft response to them felt non-existent. Captain had picked up a visual on the other plane around the 2-3 mi point, about 5 seconds prior to the close pass. Captain did not give any commands, because as I said later to first officer, we were in a square corner, and I felt he was doing all that could be done. I feel that if the other plane had not been in a bank, and we had not climbed above our assigned altitude, we would have hit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF B757 ENCOUNTERED NMAC AFTER RECEIVING A TCASII RA. UNABLE TO MANEUVER EFFECTIVELY TO THE RA, DUE TO SLOW AIRSPD AT HIGH ALT.

Narrative: FO WAS PF ZZZ TO LGA JUST PASSING THE ILM FIX WHEN WE RECEIVED HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE DIW FIX. INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO HOLD E, ON THE 090 DEG RADIAL, 20 MI LEGS, R TURNS. AT FL370, OUR PRESENT ALT, DIRECT ENTRY WAS MADE, AND ABOUT 5 MI E OF DIW, ALMOST ON THE 090 DEG RADIAL, WE CALLED ENTERING HOLD. SPD WAS 219 KTS, TIME WAS XA54Z. WE PASSED DIW, AUTOPLT ON, AND HAD JUST STARTED OUR TURN OUTBOUND, WHEN WE NOTICED ON THE TCAS THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER ACFT CO-ALT, HEAD ON TO US, AND DISPLACED TO THE 1 O'CLOCK POS AT ABOUT 15 MI. THE NEXT SEQUENCE OF EVENTS HAPPENED VERY FAST AND MAY NOT BE EXACTLY CORRECT. AFTER ABOUT 20 DEGS OF TURN TO THE OUTBOUND LEG, A VERY SLOW TURN DUE TO AIRSPD AND ALT, THE CTLR CALLED 'TURN R TO 360 DEGS.' FO WENT HDG SELECT TO 360 DEGS. THE OTHER AIRPLANE, ACR Y, WAS NOW AROUND 10 MI AWAY. FO TOLD THE CAPT THAT THIS DID NOT LOOK RIGHT, THE FACT THAT THE OTHER AIRPLANE WAS DISPLACED SLIGHTLY N AND THE CTLR HAD US TURNING ACROSS HIS NOSE. WITHIN SECONDS AFTER THE FIRST ATC CALL, THE CTLR THEN SAID 'TURN, ACR X, HARD R TO 360 DEGS.' FO DISCONNECTED AUTOPLT, ROLLED UP TO ABOUT 20 DEGS ANGLE OF BANK, AND PULLED THE AIRPLANE INTO A TIGHTER TURN. DUE TO OUR WT, SPD, AND ALT, THIS CAUSED AN IMMEDIATE DECAY IN SPD, AND BROUGHT ON A SLOW SPD BUFFET. I BELIEVE THIS TURN ALSO BROUGHT THE OTHER PLANE MORE DIRECTLY TO OUR NOSE, THE RESULT OF WHICH WAS TO GIVE US AN IMMEDIATE RA TO CLB. THE SAFE CLB ZONE WAS SITTING AT, AS THE CAPT REMEMBERS, 1000-1500 FPM CLB. WE NEVER GOT A TA. FO DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH CTL AUTH TO CONTINUE PULLING THE PLANE INTO A HARD TURN, AND WE WERE RECEIVING AN RA TO CLB. SOMEWHERE DURING THIS, THE FO SELECTED 5 MI RANGE ON TCAS FOR BETTER RESOLUTION, AND STARTED PULLING BACK ON THE CTLS. THE OTHER PLANE WAS NOT 2-3 MI, BUT WAS JUST ABOUT HEAD-ON. AS FO STARTED TO COMPLY WITH THE RA, HE ROLLED OUT OF THE TURN PARTIALLY TO TRY TO MILK SOME CLB OUT OF THE PLANE, WHICH CAUSED 2 MORE ONSETS OF SLOW SPD BUFFET, NEVER ANY STICK SHAKER. HE HAD GOTTEN TO ABOUT 250 FT ABOVE OUR HOLD ALT, WHEN THE OTHER PLANE PASSED TO OUR L IN A R-HAND TURN IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE LEVEL FLT AT FL370 -- OUR HOLD ALT. A TCAS WARNING SHOULD HAVE CERTAINLY TOLD HIM TO DSND, BUT NO INDICATION ON TCAS, OR VISUALLY, INDICATED THIS. FO HAD PUSHED UP THE THROTTLES TWICE DURING THE ATTEMPTED CLB. THE AUTOTHROTTLE STARTED TO REDUCE PWR THE FIRST TIME, AND THE FO HELD THEM UP AGAINST THE AUTOTHROTTLE INPUT. HE DID NOT FIREWALL, BUT WE WERE SO HIGH AND SLOW, THE ACFT RESPONSE TO THEM FELT NON-EXISTENT. CAPT HAD PICKED UP A VISUAL ON THE OTHER PLANE AROUND THE 2-3 MI POINT, ABOUT 5 SECONDS PRIOR TO THE CLOSE PASS. CAPT DID NOT GIVE ANY COMMANDS, BECAUSE AS I SAID LATER TO FO, WE WERE IN A SQUARE CORNER, AND I FELT HE WAS DOING ALL THAT COULD BE DONE. I FEEL THAT IF THE OTHER PLANE HAD NOT BEEN IN A BANK, AND WE HAD NOT CLBED ABOVE OUR ASSIGNED ALT, WE WOULD HAVE HIT.

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.