Date: 201510
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZZZ.ARTCC, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Climb
Airspace: Class A ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Center ZZZ
Second aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Aircraft component: Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Not Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Human-Machine Interface; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Second reporter function: Pilot Flying; Captain
Anomaly: Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Automation Aircraft RA; Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Procedure
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: We were climbing enroute. We were given FL280 as an altitude to climb to. Autopilot was on. ATC called traffic about 10 o'clock above us at FL290. As the aircraft climbed through about 27;700 the TCAS gave us an RA to adjust vertical climb. The FO took off the auto-pilot; not unusual when receiving an RA. I scanned the outside for the traffic and saw them; alerting the FO I had the traffic in sight. I glanced down and saw we were at 28;150 feet and climbing. I told him to 'Stop the Climb!' We leveled at 28;200 and reversed down to 28;000 feet. Then the FO told me for an unknown reason he got the meaning of the red and green arcs confused and was thinking he needed to keep the VSI needle in the Red arc. When I told him to stop the climb he said he immediately realized what he was doing wrong.Perhaps if the FO would have left the autopilot on the capture of 28;000 would have been better; however I see that the autopilot routinely will capture and climb 100 feet high; then come back down to the correct altitude. The RA came on before he took off the autopilot; so the RA was not a result of our altitude getting to 28;200.


Second narrative: We were in cruise at FL290. We saw traffic on the TCAS; no advisory from ATC was ever received; and watched it climb through FL280 (1;000 below us) and approach our flight path. The TCAS RA activated and stated Climb; Climb. We immediately climbed & turned away from the offender aircraft. During our climb the FO stated; 'He's coming right at us.' During our climb the aircraft remained 800 feet below us. We climbed to FL300 and advised ATC at once. When the offender aircraft had passed below us we asked ATC to advise what altitude they wanted us to maintain. They responded FL290 so we descended to FL290.


Synopsis: An air carrier First Officer climbing to FL280 with FL290 traffic ahead; misinterpreted his TCAS RA red/green visual cues and continued climbing with the VSI needle in the red band. The FL290 aircraft crew took evasive action to the climbing traffic RA.