ACR X DSCNT THROUGH OCCUPIED ALT HAD LTSS FROM MLT. EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN. SYS ERROR.

Narrative

DURING A BUSY SESSION WITH 20 MI IN TRAIL REQUIRED TO EWR THE ERROR OCCURRED. I AMENDED ACR X ALT AND THOUGHT HE HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC; WHEN HE HAD REALLY SAID; 'BASICALLY BLOCKED.' ACR X DSNDED TO HIS ORIGINAL ALT AND CONFLICTED WITH MLT. VOLUME; LACK OF FLOW CTL; AND LACK OF CLARITY ON THE FREQS ALL WERE FACTORS; I FELT. PERHAPS IF WORKLOAD HAD BEEN LESSENED BY BETTER FLOW CTL; OR THE FREQS HAD BEEN CLEARER; OR IF I HAD HAD ANOTHER SET OF EARS LISTENING; THE ERROR MIGHT NOT HAVE OCCURRED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 253923: ACR X LEFT A CRUISING ALT OF 11000 FT DOWN TO 7000 FT AS ASSIGNED. I NOTICED A MIL ACFT AND TURNED R TO AVOID CONVERGING FLT PATHS. I SLOWED DSCNT AND AT AROUND 8000 FT; THE CTLR TOLD US TO CLB BACK TO 9000 FT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 254188: ACR X ENRTE FROM ITH TO EWR WAS GIVEN DSCNT CLRNC TO 7000 FROM 11000. MLT TYPE APCHED OUR COURSE FROM R. WHEN WE REALIZED WE WERE CONVERGING; WE TURNED R TO AVOID. CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO CLB TO 9000 FT SIMULTANEOUSLY. WHEN WE HEARD CTLR'S INSTRUCTION WE CLBED TO 9000 AS DIRECTED.