NMAC RESULTS WHEN TCASII RA IS NOT OBEYED.

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ON A SCHEDULED FLT INTO IAD; WE WERE GIVEN A CLRNC TO CROSS 'ROBRT' AT 9000 FT. BEGAN A 750 FPM DSCNT AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER; CONTACTED DULLES APCH. APCHING 10000 FT; TCASII ISSUED A TA. TARGET WAS DISPLAYED 5-10 MI BEHIND US; APPROX 2000 FT HIGHER; SAME DIRECTION OF FLT; AND IN A HIGH RATE OF DSCNT. BEFORE WE HAD TIME TO QUERY ATC ABOUT THE TFC; A 'CLB; XING CLB' RA WAS ISSUED. I DISENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AND BEGAN A 1700 FPM CLB (WE WERE APPROX 9600 FT AT THE TIME OF THE RA). THE CAPT (WHO WAS NOT FLYING) INFORMED APCH THAT WE WERE IN A TCASII COMMANDED CLB. THE CTLR REPLIED THAT THE TFC WAS LEVELING AT 10000 FT AND IF WE DID ANYTHING WE SHOULD DSND. THE CAPT THEN SAID TO ME THAT MAYBE I SHOULD STOP THE CLB. I TOLD HIM THAT MANEUVERING IN OPPOSITION TO TCASII MIGHT CAUSE A MIDAIR REGARDLESS OF ATC INSTRUCTIONS. AT ABOUT 10300 FT; THE CAPT LOOKED OUT HIS SIDE WINDOW AND EXCLAIMED 'WHOA!' I LOOKED AND SAW THE TFC; AN ACR WDB; PASS US AT VERY CLOSE RANGE. THE ACR JET THEN TOLD APCH THAT TCASII WAS TELLING THEM TO DSND. IF WE HAD STOPPED OUR CLB WHEN ATC INSTRUCTED; WE MAY HAVE COLLIDED. I ALSO FEEL THAT ACR DID NOT COMPLY WITH ITS OWN TCASII AT FIRST; BECAUSE WE PASSED MUCH TOO CLOSE (THEY WERE PROBABLY AT THEIR ASSIGNED ALT OF 10000 FT). IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SOME PLTS ROUTINELY DISREGARD TCASII RA'S. TO PREVENT THESE SITS FROM RECURRING; CTLRS AND PLTS SHOULD BE EDUCATED MORE ABOUT THE DYNAMICS OF TCASII ENCOUNTERS. CTLRS NEED TO STAY OUT OF THE ENCOUNTER ONCE AN RA (OR RA'S) IS ISSUED; AND PLTS MUST STRICTLY COMPLY WITH THE RA. THE REASON I WAS SURE ABOUT WHAT TO DO WAS THAT I HAD JUST READ ABOUT THIS TYPE OF SIT IN A NASA CALLBACK.