Narrative:

At 6000 ft, clear VFR, ATC called out VFR traffic 12 O'clock position, opposite direction at 5500 ft. He suggested we climb to 6500 ft. I was flying and programmed the autoplt to climb smoothly up. Traffic was not on TCASII. We called another plane in sight, but that one was above, not below us, so we kept looking. The plane was slow to begin the climb and as I was rectifying that, ATC said the traffic was at 5800 ft, 3 mi. The first officer saw the plane first and instructed me to descend. I immediately disconnected the autoplt, spotted the plane, and got an RA nearly simultaneously. We avoided the traffic by making a positive pitch down and to the right with engines at idle. At about 5300 ft, I leveled and climbed back to 6000 ft. We advised ATC of our altitude deviation and continued our flight to ewr. Neither of us saw the plane on TCASII until we got the RA. There was no TA -- only an RA. Other aircraft displayed normally on TCASII, so maybe the other aircraft's transponder was to blame -- we don't know. The VFR aircraft also wasn't talking with ATC.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMBRAER 145 JET DSNDED AND TURNED TO AVOID ONCOMING VFR TFC SIGHTED AND IN RESPONSE TO A TCASII RA DURING CRUISE FLT AT 6000 FT MSL.

Narrative: AT 6000 FT, CLR VFR, ATC CALLED OUT VFR TFC 12 O'CLOCK POS, OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT 5500 FT. HE SUGGESTED WE CLB TO 6500 FT. I WAS FLYING AND PROGRAMMED THE AUTOPLT TO CLB SMOOTHLY UP. TFC WAS NOT ON TCASII. WE CALLED ANOTHER PLANE IN SIGHT, BUT THAT ONE WAS ABOVE, NOT BELOW US, SO WE KEPT LOOKING. THE PLANE WAS SLOW TO BEGIN THE CLB AND AS I WAS RECTIFYING THAT, ATC SAID THE TFC WAS AT 5800 FT, 3 MI. THE FO SAW THE PLANE FIRST AND INSTRUCTED ME TO DSND. I IMMEDIATELY DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT, SPOTTED THE PLANE, AND GOT AN RA NEARLY SIMULTANEOUSLY. WE AVOIDED THE TFC BY MAKING A POSITIVE PITCH DOWN AND TO THE R WITH ENGS AT IDLE. AT ABOUT 5300 FT, I LEVELED AND CLBED BACK TO 6000 FT. WE ADVISED ATC OF OUR ALTDEV AND CONTINUED OUR FLT TO EWR. NEITHER OF US SAW THE PLANE ON TCASII UNTIL WE GOT THE RA. THERE WAS NO TA -- ONLY AN RA. OTHER ACFT DISPLAYED NORMALLY ON TCASII, SO MAYBE THE OTHER ACFT'S XPONDER WAS TO BLAME -- WE DON'T KNOW. THE VFR ACFT ALSO WASN'T TALKING WITH ATC.

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.