Narrative:

I was the PNF, the first officer was flying the aircraft with the autoplt engaged. It was early afternoon in VFR WX with some haze. We were level at 6000 ft on a westerly heading at 250 KTS, being vectored by narita approach for an ILS approach to runway 16L at narita international airport. The controller started vectoring other flts to holding fixes, as there was apparently going to be a runway change to runways 34L&right. I looked down at my charts briefly to see where the holding fixes were in case we were given holding instructions. As I looked up, it seems that all 4 of us in the cockpit simultaneously saw a large airplane about 4 mi ahead of us heading south, just to our right front. He was turning to either come directly toward us or go the same direction. It took a few seconds to realize that he was coming directly toward us at the same altitude. The first officer disengaged the autoplt and began a right turn just as the TCASII 'traffic' annunciated, followed almost immediately by the 'climb' announcement and the primary flight control display. As the first officer started the climb, I announced, 'air carrier xyz is climbing to avoid traffic.' I realized that my transmission may have been blocked, so I said it again immediately, just as what appeared to be an air carrier B777 passed beneath my window. I transmitted to narita approach that we were at 6500 ft, descending to 6000 ft. We were given 2 frequency changes and vectors to the final approach to runway 16L at nrt. I was most surprised at how quickly that situation developed and passed. We probably would have done the safe maneuvering either visually without TCASII or on instruments with TCASII, this time we had both. Maybe the other aircraft began a descent because of his TCASII -- I don't know. I am glad that he did not decide to climb, because it would have been a very close call! I believe that as the air carrier airplane was turning, he was facing the sun in the hazy sky, so that probably restr his vision. Supplemental information from acn 629669: approaching lakes intersection at narita, while level at 6000 ft, another aircraft appeared as a TA then as an RA dead on the nose and high aspect to our aircraft. I responded to the RA by climbing 500 ft while the captain handled ATC communication.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B777 FLT CREW RPTED THAT RJTG VECTORED THEM TOWARD AN ACR B777 DURING APCH TO NRT, CAUSING A TCASII RA TO WHICH THEY RESPONDED WITH A TURN AND CLB.

Narrative: I WAS THE PNF, THE FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT WITH THE AUTOPLT ENGAGED. IT WAS EARLY AFTERNOON IN VFR WX WITH SOME HAZE. WE WERE LEVEL AT 6000 FT ON A WESTERLY HDG AT 250 KTS, BEING VECTORED BY NARITA APCH FOR AN ILS APCH TO RWY 16L AT NARITA INTL ARPT. THE CTLR STARTED VECTORING OTHER FLTS TO HOLDING FIXES, AS THERE WAS APPARENTLY GOING TO BE A RWY CHANGE TO RWYS 34L&R. I LOOKED DOWN AT MY CHARTS BRIEFLY TO SEE WHERE THE HOLDING FIXES WERE IN CASE WE WERE GIVEN HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS. AS I LOOKED UP, IT SEEMS THAT ALL 4 OF US IN THE COCKPIT SIMULTANEOUSLY SAW A LARGE AIRPLANE ABOUT 4 MI AHEAD OF US HDG S, JUST TO OUR R FRONT. HE WAS TURNING TO EITHER COME DIRECTLY TOWARD US OR GO THE SAME DIRECTION. IT TOOK A FEW SECONDS TO REALIZE THAT HE WAS COMING DIRECTLY TOWARD US AT THE SAME ALT. THE FO DISENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AND BEGAN A R TURN JUST AS THE TCASII 'TFC' ANNUNCIATED, FOLLOWED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BY THE 'CLB' ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE PRIMARY FLT CTL DISPLAY. AS THE FO STARTED THE CLB, I ANNOUNCED, 'ACR XYZ IS CLBING TO AVOID TFC.' I REALIZED THAT MY XMISSION MAY HAVE BEEN BLOCKED, SO I SAID IT AGAIN IMMEDIATELY, JUST AS WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN ACR B777 PASSED BENEATH MY WINDOW. I XMITTED TO NARITA APCH THAT WE WERE AT 6500 FT, DSNDING TO 6000 FT. WE WERE GIVEN 2 FREQ CHANGES AND VECTORS TO THE FINAL APCH TO RWY 16L AT NRT. I WAS MOST SURPRISED AT HOW QUICKLY THAT SIT DEVELOPED AND PASSED. WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAFE MANEUVERING EITHER VISUALLY WITHOUT TCASII OR ON INSTS WITH TCASII, THIS TIME WE HAD BOTH. MAYBE THE OTHER ACFT BEGAN A DSCNT BECAUSE OF HIS TCASII -- I DON'T KNOW. I AM GLAD THAT HE DID NOT DECIDE TO CLB, BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY CLOSE CALL! I BELIEVE THAT AS THE ACR AIRPLANE WAS TURNING, HE WAS FACING THE SUN IN THE HAZY SKY, SO THAT PROBABLY RESTR HIS VISION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 629669: APCHING LAKES INTXN AT NARITA, WHILE LEVEL AT 6000 FT, ANOTHER ACFT APPEARED AS A TA THEN AS AN RA DEAD ON THE NOSE AND HIGH ASPECT TO OUR ACFT. I RESPONDED TO THE RA BY CLBING 500 FT WHILE THE CAPT HANDLED ATC COM.

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.