AVRO-146 DEPARTING PNS EXPERIENCED NMAC.

Narrative

WE DEPARTED RWY 17 AT PNS. AT ABOUT 500 FT MSL TWR TOLD US TO SWITCH TO DEP. FO WAS PLT FLYING; SO I SWITCHED TO DEP AND RPTED THROUGH 1000 FT FOR 3000 FT. I NOTICED THAT WE WERE ENTERING A LOW CLOUD LAYER AND LOOKED AT THE OUTSIDE TEMP GAUGE TO VERIFY THE TEMP. DEP CTLR INFORMED US OF TFC AT 10 O'CLOCK AND 1500 FT. I SAW TFC ON TCAS AT 10 O'CLOCK AND 1500 MSL. IT WAS A BLUE DIAMOND OUTLINE (NOT A THREAT). THEN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY A YELLOW DIAMOND APPEARED; IN ADDITION; CLOSER TO US AND ALSO 10 O'CLOCK. IT IMMEDIATELY TURNED RED AND TCAS CALLED 'CLB.' I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AS THE FO PITCHED UP TO FOLLOW THE RA. WE WERE JUST CLEARING THE TOPS OF THE CLOUDS NOW AND I SAW NOTHING AHEAD OF US. LOOKING AT THE TCAS AGAIN (ON 5 MI RANGE) I SAW THE RED SQUARE SHOWING RIGHT UNDER US AND 300 FT BELOW US. WE NEVER SAW THE ACFT. AFTER WE WERE CLR OF THE CONFLICT I TOLD THE CTLR ABOUT OUR NEAR MISS AND HE SAID THE TFC HAD BEEN 1000 FT BELOW US. PERHAPS IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT I MISREAD THE TCAS DISPLAY; BUT I AM PRETTY SURE IT SHOWED ONLY 300 FT BELOW. IF THAT WAS THE CASE THEN THE OTHER ACFT WERE OPERATING IN THE CLOUDS OR VERY CLOSE TO THEM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR VERIFIED THAT NEITHER CREW MEMBER VISUALLY SIGHTED THE ACFT INITIATING THE TCAS EVENT BECAUSE OF THE ANGLE OF CLB AND WX CONDITIONS. THE RPTR RELAYED THAT HIS ACFT HAD JUST BROKEN OUT OF THE CLOUDS IN THE CLB AND THAT THE ACFT IN QUESTION WAS DISPLAYED 300 FT BELOW HIS ACFT. THE RPTR MENTIONED A NMAC TO THE CTLR; BUT DID NOT OFFICIALLY FILE A NMAC RPT BECAUSE OF THE CTLRS COMMENT ABOUT THE TFC BEING 1000 FT BELOW. THE RPTR DID FILE A RPT WITH HIS COMPANY. THE RPTR SUGGESTED THAT TWO ACFT MAY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED; THE ONE THAT ATC WAS QUOTING AND THE ONE THAT WAS CAUSING THE TCAS RA WITH HIS ACFT.