Narrative:

Departure. First officer's leg into rising sun. Rj taxiing in front of us. Ground controller taxied us to other side to sequence us behind aircraft Y airbus. Given position and hold as aircraft Y took off. 1/2 way through turn onto runway, given takeoff clearance. For the past 2 weeks going into position, I said 'I have the radio, you have the thrust levers' prior to maneuvering that control when lined up. Takeoff clearance came before I could say anything, so first officer assumed all 'the same' and started steering during turn. I took radio call and then gave first officer control, telling him to drag his feet a bit even though we'd not been told to keep preceding in sight. He had barely started and we were spooled out of 1000 ft. First officer called flaps 1 degree and I asked him to accelerate slowly because we were closing on aircraft Y quickly. Departure then asked if we had aircraft Y in sight and advised us he'd be turning north. I said 'yes' and was told to maintain visual. First officer was flying heading 085 degrees for victor 64. 075 degrees was bugged, so I said '075 degree hg, he's pulling in front of us quickly.' I had the TCASII vsi set at 5 mi for takeoff, switched it to 10 mi after flaps up (as is my habit) but came back down to 5 mi because there was too much clutter on screen. Although aircraft Y was clearing and turning, his target went white diamond 1000 ft above. I also observed another aircraft slightly above us and beyond, left to right at 6500 ft, 3.6 mi. TA 'traffic' I said 'insight,' thinking this was aircraft and we would disregard RA's based on visual. Not. At 6700 ft, TCASII RA 'descend.' rechking ivsi, saw hint of yellow object with no readout (obscured by) below needle showing 2000 FPM climb. DME indicating 4.3 and first officer in very shallow right turn. I pushed on the yoke and threw it to the right, saying 'turn now.' I saw some red arc in the high rate of climb areas, but could not see other colored markings because of bright sunlight/dim (be design) display. I wasn't certain the conflict might not be caused by flying too far east. No aircraft in sight. Aircraft descended to 6550 ft in 30 degree right turn to 190 degrees. During turn, ATC transmission blocked that ended with 'C182 at 7500 ft.' I keyed and said 'blocked' as we heard 'clear of conflict' and eased up to 7000 ft. Still in turn, ATC said 'traffic no longer a factor, climb and maintain FL210.' I informed him his previous had been blocked and that we'd gotten an RA to descend on, but we're now climbing to FL210. He said there had been a C182 at 7500 ft, then cleared us direct buckeye, resume buckeye departure. I informed him we were en route austin on the stanfield 1 departure. He reclred us to level at 8000 ft (we were leaving 7200 ft) direct stanfield, resume the departure. The first officer later said he saw a TCASII indication of an aircraft 200 ft above in front and to the right, but was confused because he saw more distant traffic at about the same azimuth. We were able to level at 8000 ft because we'd climbed slowly out of 7000 ft because we'd gotten another isolated 'descend' RA. Upon beginning climb in fact, I'm not sure if the 'clear of conflict' came during the climb to 8000 ft or earlier. I do not believe the cessna was at 7500 ft, and even if he was, what was he doing in the class B on departure rtes where jets level at 7000 ft. This leaves no room for error. Also, I will continue to say it is unwise and unnecessary to cram jets together under visual separation with high workload and deck angles on departure, especially in these lighting conditions. The first officer is class a great and easy to work with. This fact and RA's probably saved our behinds. Supplemental information from acn 535193: phx runway 7L departure. Hand flying the entire time. Departure on runway 7L aircraft Y airbus departed prior to us. Normal departure and rotation to approximately 20 degree pitch. Contacted departure and they asked if we had the airbus, I was lowering the pitch and could see the airbus -- the spacing looked good. Climbing through 6000 ft, I began to reduce my rate of climb for the 7000 ft leveloff. Out of 6500 ft and /-200 ATC called out traffic -- C172 11-12 mi at 7000 ft circling. Captain came onto the controls with me and increased the bank angle and initiated the descent with me. Noticed on the TCASII a reddiamond at +200 ft. Thoughts: 1) we were in the sun, with our attention focused on the airbus. 2) we were within 1K to leveloff, so my rate of climb was decreasing while we made aggressive action to comply with the RA. Why in the world they would allow an aircraft to circle at the leveloff altitude of the departure in the path of the departure?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-300 CREW AND A CESSNA HAD AN NMAC IN P50 CLASS B.

Narrative: DEP. FO'S LEG INTO RISING SUN. RJ TAXIING IN FRONT OF US. GND CTLR TAXIED US TO OTHER SIDE TO SEQUENCE US BEHIND ACFT Y AIRBUS. GIVEN POS AND HOLD AS ACFT Y TOOK OFF. 1/2 WAY THROUGH TURN ONTO RWY, GIVEN TKOF CLRNC. FOR THE PAST 2 WKS GOING INTO POS, I SAID 'I HAVE THE RADIO, YOU HAVE THE THRUST LEVERS' PRIOR TO MANEUVERING THAT CTL WHEN LINED UP. TKOF CLRNC CAME BEFORE I COULD SAY ANYTHING, SO FO ASSUMED ALL 'THE SAME' AND STARTED STEERING DURING TURN. I TOOK RADIO CALL AND THEN GAVE FO CTL, TELLING HIM TO DRAG HIS FEET A BIT EVEN THOUGH WE'D NOT BEEN TOLD TO KEEP PRECEDING IN SIGHT. HE HAD BARELY STARTED AND WE WERE SPOOLED OUT OF 1000 FT. FO CALLED FLAPS 1 DEG AND I ASKED HIM TO ACCELERATE SLOWLY BECAUSE WE WERE CLOSING ON ACFT Y QUICKLY. DEP THEN ASKED IF WE HAD ACFT Y IN SIGHT AND ADVISED US HE'D BE TURNING N. I SAID 'YES' AND WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN VISUAL. FO WAS FLYING HDG 085 DEGS FOR VICTOR 64. 075 DEGS WAS BUGGED, SO I SAID '075 DEG HG, HE'S PULLING IN FRONT OF US QUICKLY.' I HAD THE TCASII VSI SET AT 5 MI FOR TKOF, SWITCHED IT TO 10 MI AFTER FLAPS UP (AS IS MY HABIT) BUT CAME BACK DOWN TO 5 MI BECAUSE THERE WAS TOO MUCH CLUTTER ON SCREEN. ALTHOUGH ACFT Y WAS CLRING AND TURNING, HIS TARGET WENT WHITE DIAMOND 1000 FT ABOVE. I ALSO OBSERVED ANOTHER ACFT SLIGHTLY ABOVE US AND BEYOND, L TO R AT 6500 FT, 3.6 MI. TA 'TFC' I SAID 'INSIGHT,' THINKING THIS WAS ACFT AND WE WOULD DISREGARD RA'S BASED ON VISUAL. NOT. AT 6700 FT, TCASII RA 'DSND.' RECHKING IVSI, SAW HINT OF YELLOW OBJECT WITH NO READOUT (OBSCURED BY) BELOW NEEDLE SHOWING 2000 FPM CLB. DME INDICATING 4.3 AND FO IN VERY SHALLOW R TURN. I PUSHED ON THE YOKE AND THREW IT TO THE R, SAYING 'TURN NOW.' I SAW SOME RED ARC IN THE HIGH RATE OF CLB AREAS, BUT COULD NOT SEE OTHER COLORED MARKINGS BECAUSE OF BRIGHT SUNLIGHT/DIM (BE DESIGN) DISPLAY. I WASN'T CERTAIN THE CONFLICT MIGHT NOT BE CAUSED BY FLYING TOO FAR E. NO ACFT IN SIGHT. ACFT DSNDED TO 6550 FT IN 30 DEG R TURN TO 190 DEGS. DURING TURN, ATC XMISSION BLOCKED THAT ENDED WITH 'C182 AT 7500 FT.' I KEYED AND SAID 'BLOCKED' AS WE HEARD 'CLR OF CONFLICT' AND EASED UP TO 7000 FT. STILL IN TURN, ATC SAID 'TFC NO LONGER A FACTOR, CLB AND MAINTAIN FL210.' I INFORMED HIM HIS PREVIOUS HAD BEEN BLOCKED AND THAT WE'D GOTTEN AN RA TO DSND ON, BUT WE'RE NOW CLBING TO FL210. HE SAID THERE HAD BEEN A C182 AT 7500 FT, THEN CLRED US DIRECT BUCKEYE, RESUME BUCKEYE DEP. I INFORMED HIM WE WERE ENRTE AUSTIN ON THE STANFIELD 1 DEP. HE RECLRED US TO LEVEL AT 8000 FT (WE WERE LEAVING 7200 FT) DIRECT STANFIELD, RESUME THE DEP. THE FO LATER SAID HE SAW A TCASII INDICATION OF AN ACFT 200 FT ABOVE IN FRONT AND TO THE R, BUT WAS CONFUSED BECAUSE HE SAW MORE DISTANT TFC AT ABOUT THE SAME AZIMUTH. WE WERE ABLE TO LEVEL AT 8000 FT BECAUSE WE'D CLBED SLOWLY OUT OF 7000 FT BECAUSE WE'D GOTTEN ANOTHER ISOLATED 'DSND' RA. UPON BEGINNING CLB IN FACT, I'M NOT SURE IF THE 'CLR OF CONFLICT' CAME DURING THE CLB TO 8000 FT OR EARLIER. I DO NOT BELIEVE THE CESSNA WAS AT 7500 FT, AND EVEN IF HE WAS, WHAT WAS HE DOING IN THE CLASS B ON DEP RTES WHERE JETS LEVEL AT 7000 FT. THIS LEAVES NO ROOM FOR ERROR. ALSO, I WILL CONTINUE TO SAY IT IS UNWISE AND UNNECESSARY TO CRAM JETS TOGETHER UNDER VISUAL SEPARATION WITH HIGH WORKLOAD AND DECK ANGLES ON DEP, ESPECIALLY IN THESE LIGHTING CONDITIONS. THE FO IS CLASS A GREAT AND EASY TO WORK WITH. THIS FACT AND RA'S PROBABLY SAVED OUR BEHINDS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 535193: PHX RWY 7L DEP. HAND FLYING THE ENTIRE TIME. DEP ON RWY 7L ACFT Y AIRBUS DEPARTED PRIOR TO US. NORMAL DEP AND ROTATION TO APPROX 20 DEG PITCH. CONTACTED DEP AND THEY ASKED IF WE HAD THE AIRBUS, I WAS LOWERING THE PITCH AND COULD SEE THE AIRBUS -- THE SPACING LOOKED GOOD. CLBING THROUGH 6000 FT, I BEGAN TO REDUCE MY RATE OF CLB FOR THE 7000 FT LEVELOFF. OUT OF 6500 FT AND /-200 ATC CALLED OUT TFC -- C172 11-12 MI AT 7000 FT CIRCLING. CAPT CAME ONTO THE CTLS WITH ME AND INCREASED THE BANK ANGLE AND INITIATED THE DSCNT WITH ME. NOTICED ON THE TCASII A REDDIAMOND AT +200 FT. THOUGHTS: 1) WE WERE IN THE SUN, WITH OUR ATTN FOCUSED ON THE AIRBUS. 2) WE WERE WITHIN 1K TO LEVELOFF, SO MY RATE OF CLB WAS DECREASING WHILE WE MADE AGGRESSIVE ACTION TO COMPLY WITH THE RA. WHY IN THE WORLD THEY WOULD ALLOW AN ACFT TO CIRCLE AT THE LEVELOFF ALT OF THE DEP IN THE PATH OF THE DEP?

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.