ACR X TCASII TA RA HAD LTSS FROM ACR Y IN HOLDING PATTERN AT SAME ALT. SYS ERROR.

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ACR X WAS IN A HOLDING PATTERN AT CONNY INTXN AT 24000 FT. WE HAD INITIALLY BEEN ASSIGNED AN ENRTE HOLD AT CONNY AT FL260 AT APPROX XX40 LCL WITH AN EFC IN 25 MINS. DURING THE HOLD WE WERE THEN CLRED TO FL240. WE WERE ON CTR FREQ 134.47. THIS PARTICULAR CTLR WAS WORKING OUR HOLDING PATTERN ALONG WITH AN ADDITIONAL HOLDING PATTERN AT ROUSE INTXN. HE WAS EXTREMELY BUSY AND WE HAD COMMENTED IN THE COCKPIT THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN OUR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WHEN THE CTLR IS WORKING 2 HOLDING PATTERNS. IN APPROX 20 MINS; INBOUND LEG TO CONNY AT 24000 FT; WE WERE GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE TO 124.87. WE ANTICIPATED BEING CLRED OUT OF THE HOLDING PATTERN AS WE BELIEVED WE WERE THE BOTTOM OF THE STACK AND ALSO WE WERE APCHING OUR EFC. UPON CHKING IN ON FREQ 124.87; THE CTLR SIMPLY ACKNOWLEDGED OUR CONTACT SO WE STARTED OUR TURN OUTBOUND. WE WERE LEVEL OUTBOUND WHEN WE GOT A TCASII RA. WE SHOWED TFC Y SAME ALT AT OUR 1-2 O'CLOCK POS. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THE TA CHANGED TO AN RA WITH A COMMAND TO CLB 1500-2000 FPM. AT ALMOST THE SAME TIME AS THE RA; THE CTLR NOTICED THE PROB AND IMMEDIATELY ISSUED AN URGENT DSCNT TO 11000 FT. WE ELECTED TO FOLLOW THE CTLR'S INSTRUCTION RATHER THAN THE RA COMMAND; BECAUSE I BELIEVE THE RA CLB COMMAND WOULD HAVE CLBED US INTO OTHER TFC ABOVE IN THE HOLDING PATTERN! BOTH OF THE ABOVE CTLRS HAD A VERY HIGH WORKLOAD. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 261038: OUR FLT WAS HOLDING AT CONNY AT 24000 FT. AS WE WERE TURNING OUTBOUND JUST PRIOR TO OUR EFC; WE RECEIVED A TCASII TA; WHICH IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO AN RA. ALSO; CTR AT THE SAME TIME ASKED IF WE WERE STILL HOLDING AND ISSUED A DSCNT. THE RA CALLED FOR A CLB. WE SAW THE TFC AND ELECTED TO DSND DUE TO WHAT CTR SAID AND BELIEVING OTHER PLANES TO BE ABOVE US. CTR FAILED TO CLR US OUT OF THE HOLD. THEY WERE VERY BUSY AND WORKING 2 HOLDING PATTERNS THAT WE HEARD. I BELIEVE CTR'S HIGH WORKLOAD CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ERROR.