2 ENRTE ACFT NMAC AT FL310.

Narrative

FLYING AT FL301; 40 DME W OF MOL; TCASII ALERTED TO A 'TA.' CHKING THE TCASII; I SAW A +08 (800 FT) YELLOW ICON FROM OUR R TO L AT 1 O'CLOCK POS. ZDC STARTED CALLING A ACFT TO CLB BACK TO FL330. THE ACFT DID NOT RESPOND. CTR CALLED AGAIN AND TOLD ACFT Y TO CLB BACK TO FL330. THEY HAD TAKEN THE WRONG DSCNT CLRNC. I DID NOT HEAR ACFT Y RESPOND. TCASII ALERTED WITH AN 'RA;' COMMANDED WITH A 'DSND NOW!' I STARTED A RAPID DSCNT; THE VSI RA INDICATED I NEEDED A 5050 FT DSCNT RATE. THE RED 'RA' +01 (200 FT) ICON WAS OFF OUR R AND CLOSING. ZDC CTLR WAS NOW YELLING 'ACFT Y CLB; CLB!' THE CTLR KEYED HIS MIKE; BUT WITH ONLY CHOKING SOUNDS OF 'UH; UH!' MY SCREEN SHOWED ICON ; OUR ACFT X ICON RADIALS; HDG LINES; AND TRACK ALL ONE BIG CLUTTER. MY FO TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO TELL CTR WE WERE DSNDING. THE TCASII RA CHANGED TO TA AT AROUND FL296. WE SAW THE ACR Y ACFT PASS OVERHEAD. ANOTHER CTLR TOLD US TO DSND TO FL290 AND THEN ON DOWN TO FL240. CONTACT WITH ACR Y HAD BEEN MADE; AND CTR TOLD THEM THEY HAD TAKEN THEIR COMPANY'S DSCNT CLRNCS. THEIR RESPONSE; 'YOU HAD BETTER PULL THE TAPES ON THAT ONE.' I CHKED ON THE PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS. EVERYONE WAS OK. WE CONTINUED TO ORF. AT ORF; I CALLED ZDC. I WANTED TO CHK ON THE CTLR; LET THEM KNOW WE WERE ALL OK; AND TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. I WAS TOLD THE CTLR WAS SHOOK UP; BUT OK. THEY WERE LOOKING AT THE COMPUTER TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED AND THAT THE CASE WAS BEING PASSED ON TO THEIR QUALITY ASSURANCE DIVISION. AS FAR AS MY EMOTIONS; I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO IMPACT WITH ACR Y WHEN THE CTLR COULD NOT SPEAK. I WAS RELIEVED TO FLY THROUGH FL300 AND STILL BE FLYING. THE FO AND I WERE ON HIGH ALERT FOR THE REST OF THE FLT.