LOSS OF SEPARATION BTWN MD88 AT FL290 AND A B727 WHICH CLBED THROUGH ASSIGNED ALT OF FL280. MD88 RECEIVED TCASII RA TO DSND WHILE B727 WAS INSTRUCTED TO DSND TO FL280.

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I CLBED THE B727 TO FL280. PLT READ BACK FL280. ACFT WAS WITNESSED LEAVING FL282 AND WAS ASKED TO VERIFY ASSIGNED ALT AND RESPONDED FL290. DSNDED IMMEDIATELY TO FL280. ACFT RPTED LEVEL AT FL280. AT THIS POINT OTHER ACFT RESPONDED TO TCASII ALERT AND DSNDED INTO THE B727. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 397069: WE WERE LEVEL AT FL290 IN CRUISE WHEN WE HEARD ANOTHER FLT CLBING OUT; OUR LOCATION WAS 115 DME ON THE 235 DEG RADIAL OF ROD. WE HEARD THE CTLR ASK THEM TO LEVEL AT FL280. THE NEXT THING WE GOT WAS A TA WARNING FOLLOWED BY AN RA TO DSND RAPIDLY 2000-3000 FPM. WE DSNDED AS SOON AS WE GOT THE RA AND LEVELED AT FL274 WHERE WE GOT CLR OF CONFLICT ON TCASII. IN THE MEANTIME; THE CTR HAD TOLD THE OTHER ACFT TO DSND TO FL280 -- WHERE THEY SHOULD HAVE LEVELED IN THE FIRST PLACE. WE CALLED ZID AND TOLD THEM WE WERE LEAVING ALT BECAUSE OF AN RA CONFLICT AND AFTER LEVEL AT FL274; WE ASKED FOR CLRNC BACK TO FL290. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 397284: WE WERE CLBING TO FL290. I WAS FLYING THE ACFT. THE AUTOPLT WAS ON AND THE ALT CAPTURE WAS ENGAGED. PASSING FL285 ZID ASKED WHAT OUR ALT WAS. THE FO REPLIED PASSING FL285; CLBING TO FL290. THE CTLR SAID TO DSND TO FL280 IMMEDIATELY; AND TO BE LEVEL IN 1 MIN OR LESS. I STARTED TO DSND TO FL280 AND WAS LEVEL AT FL280 IN ABOUT 40 SECONDS. THE TCASII INDICATED ANOTHER ACFT DSNDING TO FL280. THE OTHER ACFT PASSED OUR ACFT AT FL280 ABOUT 4 MI OFF THE R SIDE. I SAW THE FO DIAL FL290 INTO THE ALT ALERT WINDOW AND I VERBALLY RESPONDED FL290. PASSING FL280 I SAID; 'PASSING FL280 FOR FL290 ALT SELECTED.' SOMETIMES CTR WILL MAKE YOU AWARE OF OTHER TFC CLBING OR DSNDING NEAR YOUR ALT. IF ZID HAD SAID SOMETHING TO US AS WE APCHED FL280; THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.