CLOSE PROX COMMUTER-LTT GA-SMA AT 5000 IN HAZE JUST N OF N90 TCA.

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OUR ACFT DEPARTED HVN ON AN IFR FLT PLAN TO IAD. NEW YORK AREA ARPTS RPTED CLR SKIES; VFR VISIBILITY. INFLT VISIBILITY WAS POOR DUE TO HAZE. AT 5000 FT WE COULD JUST SEE THE GND SO WE ESTIMATED VISIBILITY TO BE 1 MI. WE WERE GIVEN A TYPICAL 'STEP CLB' OUT OF HVN. 9 MINS AFTER DEP WE WERE STILL AT 5000 FT; JUST N OF THE NY TCA. WHEN WE HAD A NEAR MISS WITH WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN SMA. HE WAS EXACTLY HEAD ON AT APPROX THE SAME ALT. HE SAW US ABOUT THE SAME TIME WE SAW HIM; WE BOTH BROKE R. THE AMOUNT OF VERT SEPARATION IS HARD TO JUDGE; PROBABLY 100- 200 FT LATERAL SEPARATION WAS ABOUT 1/4 MI. THERE WERE SEVERAL THINGS WORKING IN OUR FAVOR. MOST IMPORTANTLY; ALTHOUGH THE CTLR WAS BUSY HE CALLED TFC TO US. ALTHOUGH HE WAS AT 12 O'CLOCK HE WAS HARD FOR US TO FOCUS ON; WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE SEEN HIM. INFLT VISIBILITY WAS ONLY 1 MI. WE HAD SLOWED TO 300 KTS BECAUSE OF THE VISIBILITY. ON A CLR DAY WE'D BE DOING CLOSE TO 250 KTS. NOT A GOOD IDEA; IN RETROSPECT; EVEN ON A CLR DAY. WE HAD THE AUTOPLT ON; ALLOWING BOTH PLTS TO DEVOTE 100 PERCENT OF OUR ATTN TO LOOKING FOR THE TFC. WE HAD OUR LNDG LIGHTS ON. HE DID NOT. WE CALLED NY TRACON AFTER LNDG. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE GUY WAS FROM THE MIDWEST AND WAS 'PICKING HIS WAY THROUGH THE CLOUDS' FOR BRIDGEPORT. WHAT A STUPID PLACE TO BE DOING THAT! JUST W OF THE NY TCA IN IFR CONDITIONS. WE HAVE ASKED OUR COMPANY TO TRY FOR A NEW RTING THAT COULD GET US HIGHER; FASTER.