ACR LGT CAPT GETS CONFUSED BY TCASII TA FALSE WARNING AND TA GIVEN AND INSTITUTES AN UNAUTHORIZED CLB TOWARDS OCCUPIED ALT.

Narrative

WE WERE SWBOUND ON J-209 OVER THE VILLS INTXN TURNING TOWARDS THE SALISBURY VOR. ABOUT THIS TIME I RECEIVED A TA FROM THE TCASII SYS. THE TFC WAS AT 11 O'CLOCK 2 MI AND 1000 FT ABOVE US. WHY THIS WOULD PRODUCE A TA WARNING I DON'T KNOW. AT THE SAME TIME ATC; OR SO I THOUGHT; GAVE US A CLB TO 29000 FT. BUT AS IT TURNED OUT THEY WERE JUST GIVING US TFC AT FL290. I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I DID NEXT. I ACTUALLY STARTED TO CLB. THE FO SAID 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING?' THEN I REALIZED THAT I HAD MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT ATC SAID. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CLB AT FL28.2. JUST 200 FT OFF OF MY ALT OF FL280. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO FL280. THE WHOLE TRANSGRESSION AND RETURN TO FL280 PROBABLY ONLY TOOK 10 SECONDS; BUT IT PRODUCED AN RA COMMAND TO DSND; WHICH I WAS ALREADY DOING. AGAIN; IF THE OTHER ACFT WAS AT HIS ALT; WHY DID I GET THE RA COMMAND? SINCE TO GET AN RA YOU HAVE TO BE WITHIN 600 FT OF EACH OTHER; WHICH WE WEREN'T AND CLBING. THE MISTAKE WAS CAUSED BY THE ORIGINAL 'TA' AND THE ATC TFC ADVISORY COMING AT THE SAME TIME. I THOUGHT THEY WANTED US TO CLB BECAUSE OF THE TFC. IN OTHER WORDS; I GOT CONFUSED. I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID IT. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH; AS IT TURNED OUT; OUR ALT INCURSION WAS SO BRIEF AND THE ALT GAINED WAS SO SHORT; THAT I DON'T THINK IT SET OFF THE ATC ALARM AT THE CTR.