Narrative:

We, air carrier X, departed to south on the dca 185 degree right climbing to 17000'. My first officer alertly advised me that we had traffic at 12 O'clock. It was head-on and on a collision course. An immediate evasive turn to the left was made. The oncoming traffic did not appear to react to us and passed slightly beneath and within 500' estimated to our right. Elapsed time from sighting to passage may have been less than 15 seconds. When asked who just passed us, departure control tentatively idented the aircraft as commuter Y. We were asked to cycle our transponder and then to turn to heading 030 degrees for identify. He stated that aircraft Y was on approach control and had had us in sight. We double-checked our transponder switches and confirmed that they were properly positioned. The captain was at the controls of our aircraft at the time of the incident. The evasive turn was smooth and there were no injuries to crew or passenger. No subsequent controller indicated any difficulty receiving our transponder. Using the same airspace corridor for departures and arrs on separate frequencys contributed to this near accident. Both aircraft had landing lights on which aided in our ability to see and avoid. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: since incident reporter has received phone call from dca facility manager in which he admitted ATC error. Says the departure controller got busy trying to assist another radar controller at adjacent position and failed to turn air carrier X away from commuter Y aircraft. Reporter sure that they had received clearance for climb to 17000', and were climbing rapidly due to low gross weight. Thinks aircraft Y did not use good judgement in flying so close to air carrier X if they had traffic in sight and were to provide visual sep. Does not know if aircraft Y was IFR or VFR flight. Glad that aircraft had landing lights on.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLOSE PROX BETWEEN ACR AND COMMUTER ACFT IN TCA. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Narrative: WE, ACR X, DEPARTED TO S ON THE DCA 185 DEG R CLBING TO 17000'. MY F/O ALERTLY ADVISED ME THAT WE HAD TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK. IT WAS HEAD-ON AND ON A COLLISION COURSE. AN IMMEDIATE EVASIVE TURN TO THE LEFT WAS MADE. THE ONCOMING TFC DID NOT APPEAR TO REACT TO US AND PASSED SLIGHTLY BENEATH AND WITHIN 500' ESTIMATED TO OUR RIGHT. ELAPSED TIME FROM SIGHTING TO PASSAGE MAY HAVE BEEN LESS THAN 15 SECS. WHEN ASKED WHO JUST PASSED US, DEP CTL TENTATIVELY IDENTED THE ACFT AS COMMUTER Y. WE WERE ASKED TO CYCLE OUR TRANSPONDER AND THEN TO TURN TO HDG 030 DEGS FOR IDENT. HE STATED THAT ACFT Y WAS ON APCH CTL AND HAD HAD US IN SIGHT. WE DOUBLE-CHKED OUR TRANSPONDER SWITCHES AND CONFIRMED THAT THEY WERE PROPERLY POSITIONED. THE CAPT WAS AT THE CTLS OF OUR ACFT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE EVASIVE TURN WAS SMOOTH AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO CREW OR PAX. NO SUBSEQUENT CTLR INDICATED ANY DIFFICULTY RECEIVING OUR TRANSPONDER. USING THE SAME AIRSPACE CORRIDOR FOR DEPS AND ARRS ON SEPARATE FREQS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS NEAR ACCIDENT. BOTH ACFT HAD LNDG LIGHTS ON WHICH AIDED IN OUR ABILITY TO SEE AND AVOID. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: SINCE INCIDENT RPTR HAS RECEIVED PHONE CALL FROM DCA FAC MGR IN WHICH HE ADMITTED ATC ERROR. SAYS THE DEP CTLR GOT BUSY TRYING TO ASSIST ANOTHER RADAR CTLR AT ADJACENT POS AND FAILED TO TURN ACR X AWAY FROM COMMUTER Y ACFT. RPTR SURE THAT THEY HAD RECEIVED CLRNC FOR CLB TO 17000', AND WERE CLBING RAPIDLY DUE TO LOW GROSS WT. THINKS ACFT Y DID NOT USE GOOD JUDGEMENT IN FLYING SO CLOSE TO ACR X IF THEY HAD TFC IN SIGHT AND WERE TO PROVIDE VISUAL SEP. DOES NOT KNOW IF ACFT Y WAS IFR OR VFR FLT. GLAD THAT ACFT HAD LNDG LIGHTS ON.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.