Narrative:

La center cleared us to descend via the lynsy one arrival. We were descending on speed as to cross lynsy at 12000 ft MSL, 250 KTS. Navigation was in accordance with company RNAV arrival procedures. 11-12 NM prior to lynsy, la center advised us that there was a citation at 13500 ft MSL, just north of lynsy, and that he was talking to las approach. Both the controller and my cockpit crew believe that citation would stay at 13500 ft MSL. About 4-5 NM from lynsy, the controller informed us the citation was descending ad cleared us to 11000 ft ms. TCAS first showed the citation level and continued to show him level even after the controller called our descent. We expedited the descent to 11000 ft. The controller then instructed us to descend to 10000 ft. The first officer was flying. He increased descent to 2500 RPM. TCAS now showed the citation on the nose to slightly right about 3 NM, above us, descending. We both went out to acquire the citation. The first officer acquired the citation visually above us, closing on a collision course at about the 12:30 O'clock position. He checked the autoplt off, started a right turn about 1 NM prior to lynsy, and smoothly increased the descent rate with the citation passing right to left on the nose, above us, by about 300 ft, 2-1.5 NM, the TCAS alerted with an RA to climb. Since we had a visual and were already in a descending evasive maneuver assured to reconflict, we continued to descend and turn to his 6 O'clock position. Had we followed the RA, we would have passed through his altitude vertically, at 12 O'clock, within 0.5 NM, and lost sight. La center then handed us off to las approach. Las approach cleared us off the RNAV route and to 8000 ft ms. Combination of events: two different aircraft, in approximately same airspace, two different controllers. Lax predisposed to keep aircraft on arrival route over fix verses vector off citation was VFR, told las approach he wanted to proceed on his own navigation, started descend on his own (he told las he had us in sight). New arrivals take IFR traffic over VFR sight seeing corridor. Supplemental information from acn 533324: I was the pilot flying and increased my rate of descent from 14000 ft to 12000 ft to met lynsy restrictions early (250 KTS/12000 ft). VFR aircraft appeared to ba a citation passing approximately 200 ft above and 2000 ft to 3000 ft southwest our position. The captain contacted supervisors for la center and approach control. Per air carrier fom captain then contacted our chief pilot. We both feel there is a potential problem with the new RNAV arrival and VFR aircraft transiting a north/south route along the colorado river. Apparently this particular aircraft had been under the control of las approach and cancelled IFR. He claims or told approach he had visual when we were head on with our pulsating landing lights on. There appears to be a potential conflict with IFR commercial traffic arriving via the lynsy RNAV 1 to las and VFR traffic transiting along the colorado river at mid level altitudes (10000 ft to 15000 ft).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B733 CREW, DESCENDING INTO KLAS, RECEIVED A CLIMB 'RA' FROM TCAS. WITH THE TFC IN SIGHT A DESCENDING TURN WAS INITIATED TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION.

Narrative: LA CENTER CLRED US TO DSND VIA THE LYNSY ONE ARRIVAL. WE WERE DSNDING ON SPD AS TO CROSS LYNSY AT 12000 FT MSL, 250 KTS. NAV WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY RNAV ARRIVAL PROCS. 11-12 NM PRIOR TO LYNSY, LA CENTER ADVISED US THAT THERE WAS A CITATION AT 13500 FT MSL, JUST NORTH OF LYNSY, AND THAT HE WAS TALKING TO LAS APCH. BOTH THE CTLR AND MY COCKPIT CREW BELIEVE THAT CITATION WOULD STAY AT 13500 FT MSL. ABOUT 4-5 NM FROM LYNSY, THE CTLR INFORMED US THE CITATION WAS DSNDING AD CLRED US TO 11000 FT MS. TCAS FIRST SHOWED THE CITATION LEVEL AND CONTINUED TO SHOW HIM LEVEL EVEN AFTER THE CTLR CALLED OUR DSCNT. WE EXPEDITED THE DSCNT TO 11000 FT. THE CTLR THEN INSTRUCTED US TO DSND TO 10000 FT. THE FO WAS FLYING. HE INCREASED DSCNT TO 2500 RPM. TCAS NOW SHOWED THE CITATION ON THE NOSE TO SLIGHTLY RIGHT ABOUT 3 NM, ABOVE US, DSNDING. WE BOTH WENT OUT TO ACQUIRE THE CITATION. THE FO ACQUIRED THE CITATION VISUALLY ABOVE US, CLOSING ON A COLLISION COURSE AT ABOUT THE 12:30 O'CLOCK POS. HE CHECKED THE AUTOPLT OFF, STARTED A RIGHT TURN ABOUT 1 NM PRIOR TO LYNSY, AND SMOOTHLY INCREASED THE DSCNT RATE WITH THE CITATION PASSING RIGHT TO LEFT ON THE NOSE, ABOVE US, BY ABOUT 300 FT, 2-1.5 NM, THE TCAS ALERTED WITH AN RA TO CLB. SINCE WE HAD A VISUAL AND WERE ALREADY IN A DSNDING EVASIVE MANEUVER ASSURED TO RECONFLICT, WE CONTINUED TO DSND AND TURN TO HIS 6 O'CLOCK POS. HAD WE FOLLOWED THE RA, WE WOULD HAVE PASSED THROUGH HIS ALT VERTICALLY, AT 12 O'CLOCK, WITHIN 0.5 NM, AND LOST SIGHT. LA CENTER THEN HANDED US OFF TO LAS APCH. LAS APCH CLRED US OFF THE RNAV RTE AND TO 8000 FT MS. COMBINATION OF EVENTS: TWO DIFFERENT ACFT, IN APPROX SAME AIRSPACE, TWO DIFFERENT CTLRS. LAX PREDISPOSED TO KEEP ACFT ON ARRIVAL RTE OVER FIX VERSES VECTOR OFF CITATION WAS VFR, TOLD LAS APCH HE WANTED TO PROCEED ON HIS OWN NAV, STARTED DSND ON HIS OWN (HE TOLD LAS HE HAD US IN SIGHT). NEW ARRIVALS TAKE IFR TFC OVER VFR SIGHT SEEING CORRIDOR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 533324: I WAS THE PLT FLYING AND INCREASED MY RATE OF DSCNT FROM 14000 FT TO 12000 FT TO MET LYNSY RESTRICTIONS EARLY (250 KTS/12000 FT). VFR ACFT APPEARED TO BA A CITATION PASSING APPROX 200 FT ABOVE AND 2000 FT TO 3000 FT SOUTHWEST OUR POS. THE CAPT CONTACTED SUPVRS FOR LA CENTER AND APCH CTL. PER ACR FOM CAPT THEN CONTACTED OUR CHIEF PLT. WE BOTH FEEL THERE IS A POTENTIAL PROB WITH THE NEW RNAV ARRIVAL AND VFR ACFT TRANSITING A NORTH/SOUTH RTE ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER. APPARENTLY THIS PARTICULAR ACFT HAD BEEN UNDER THE CTL OF LAS APCH AND CANCELLED IFR. HE CLAIMS OR TOLD APCH HE HAD VISUAL WHEN WE WERE HEAD ON WITH OUR PULSATING LNDG LIGHTS ON. THERE APPEARS TO BE A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH IFR COMMERCIAL TFC ARRIVING VIA THE LYNSY RNAV 1 TO LAS AND VFR TFC TRANSITING ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER AT MID LEVEL ALTS (10000 FT TO 15000 FT).

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.