MD88 FLT CREW EXPERIENCED TCASII RA DURING CLB FROM PNS TO FL200; WITH XING TFC AT 16000 FT; AFTER ACCEPTING VISUAL SEPARATION CLRNC FROM ATC.

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DEPARTING PNS AND LEVEL 15000 FT; DEP CTL CALLED OUT XING CRJ TFC AT 16000 FT. CAPT ACQUIRED THE TFC VISUALLY AND INFORMED ATC. ATC THEN ISSUED A 'VISUAL CLB' TO FL200; MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH CRJ. FO BEGAN A CLB AFTER UNDERSTANDING ATC AND STATED 'CLB TO FL200.' TCASII ALERT BEGAN AT 15300 FT AND FO LEVELED AT 15500 FT. TFC PASSED BEHIND AT 2 MI AND 500 FT. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1) BOTH PLTS AND CTLRS SHOULD AVOID NONSTANDARD PHRASEOLOGY. 2) BOTH PLTS SHOULD VOICE CONCURRENCE ON ANY VERT/LATERAL MOVEMENT TOWARD ANY XING TFC. 3) ATC SHOULD NOT ISSUE VISUAL CLRNCS TO CONVERGING ACFT IN CLOSE PROX. 4) TCASII EQUIP WORKED WELL COUPLED WITH THE TRAINING FLT CREWS BELIEVE TO RESPOND TO TCASII RA'S. THIS TRAINING AND EQUIP SHOULD BE MANDATORY FOR ALL ACFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 642142: I ACQUIRED THE TFC VISUALLY AND RPTED SAME TO ATC. CTLR GAVE US A 'VISUAL CLB' TO FL200. I WAS WATCHING TFC. THE CO-PLT INITIATED A SLOW CLB INITIALLY; WHICH I DID NOT NOTICE IMMEDIATELY. TCASII ALERTED AND I SAW ALTIMETER PASSING 15300 FT IN A CLB. THE CO-PLT (PF) LEVELED OFF AT 15500 FT AS TFC PASSED BEHIND US. HE THOUGHT WE WERE TO EXPEDITE CLB TO GET ABOVE THE TFC ALT. DECIDED NO MOVEMENT SHOULD BEGIN TOWARDS TFC WITHOUT VERBAL CONCURRENCE ON A PLAN BY BOTH PLTS.