A DH8 ACFT GOING THROUGH 15500 FT CLBING TO 17000 FT WAS INSTRUCTED TO DSND TO 14000 FT DUE TO A B727 CLBING THROUGH THE SAME ALT. BOTH ACFT RECEIVE A TCASII RA; HOWEVER; EFFORTS BY THE CTLR TO MAINTAIN LEGAL SEPARATION OCCURRED TOO LATE.

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RADIO CONTACT WITH ZNY 118.97 WAS VERY WEAK; ALMOST UNREADABLE. SEVERAL OTHER ACFT COMPLAINED. WHILE CLBING OUT OF 15000 FT; TA SHOWED ON TCASII VISUAL AND VERBAL 'TFC.' IMC AT THE TIME. COULD HEAR CONFLICTING TFC TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO ATC ABOUT TFC. TA THEN TURNS TO RA. AUTOPLT WAS DISCONNECTED; PWR REDUCED; AND DSCNT IMMEDIATELY INITIATED TO FOLLOW TCASII INSTRUCTIONS FROM VSI. THE TFC WAS THEN SEEN BELOW US AT 600 FT BELOW AND CONTINUED TO DSND. ADVISED ATC OF THE INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 409999: ATC CLRED US TO 17000 FT. WHILE CLBING THROUGH 15500 FT; ATC TOLD US TO DSND TO 14000 FT. WE NOTICED A TCASII TARGET AT 11 O'CLOCK POS; SAME ALT AND CLBING (B727). WE PITCHED OVER TO DSND AT 1500 FPM. AT THE SAME TIME; WE GOT AN RA TO CLB. THE TCASII TARGET WAS AT 12 O'CLOCK POS; 2 MI AND 500 FT ABOVE. AT THAT MOMENT; THE B727 DECLARED THEY HAD AN RA TO DSND. AT THE SAME TIME WE RECEIVED AN RA TO CLB. THE B727 BEGAN A DSCNT; ATC TOLD THEM NOT TO DSND. THEY CONTINUED DSCNT FOR A FEW MOMENTS AND PASSED +/-1 MI AND 500 FT ABOVE OUR ALT. I BANKED L AND THE B727 PASSED OFF OUR R SIDE. DUE TO THE RAPID DSCNT RATE AND IDLE PWR; WE COULDN'T REACT TO THE CLB RA UNTIL WE WERE BELOW THE TFC. WE RECEIVED A CLR OF CONFLICT UPON LEVELING AT 14000 FT.