ARTCC RADAR CTLR; DISTRACTED BY A DISORIENTED GA PLT; CONTRIBUTES TO CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF MD80 AND B737. TCAS SAVES THE DAY.

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AFTER BEING GIVEN AN INITIAL VECTOR OF 090 DEGS AND 4000 FT; THE FLT WAS GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE TO PHX DEP CTL WHO DIRECTED US TO CLB FIRST TO 7000 FT THEN TO 15000 FT AND TURN TO A 290 DEG HDG TO INTERCEPT A 321 RADIAL OFF OF THE PXR VOR AS WAS TYPICAL. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT 15000 FT; THE FLT CONTINUED ON ITS ASSIGNED HDG AND AFTER SEVERAL MINS; WAS INSTRUCTED TO CHANGE FREQS AND TO CONTACT ZAB FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION AND A CLB. WHEN INITIALLY ARRIVING ON FREQ; WE NOTED THAT THE CTLR WAS BUSY GIVING; WHAT WE ASSUMED TO BE A GA ACFT; EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS AS TO HDG TOWARDS A SPECIFIC WAYPOINT. THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY SOME CONFUSION ON THE PLT'S PART AND IN CLRING UP THIS CONFUSION THE CTLR WAS COMPLETELY ENGAGED AND SPEAKING TO NO ONE ELSE. AFTER APPROX 90 SECONDS WE WERE ABLE TO CHK ON FREQ AND WERE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO CLB ON PRESENT HDG TO FL290. WHEN THE FO INITIATED THE CLB; I NOTED ON THE TCAS ANOTHER ACFT FLYING TOWARDS US; SLIGHTLY BELOW OUR ALT AND CLBING AT 1500 FPM. I MENTIONED THIS TO THE PF AND HE PITCHED THE ACFT UP TO 2000 FPM. AT THAT POINT WE BOTH LOOKED OUT THE FORWARD L SIDE OF THE ACFT AND REALIZED WE WERE IN IMMINENT DANGER OF COLLISION IF SOME IMMEDIATE ACTION WAS NOT TAKEN. SIMULTANEOUSLY; WE RECEIVED AN RA AND MY ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THE B737 CREW DID AS WELL. THE FO DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT; INITIATED A 30 DEG L BANK AND INCREASED RATE OF CLB TO 3000 FPM. THE B737 PLT STOPPED HIS CLB AND LEVELED OFF MAINTAINING THE SAME DIRECTION OF FLT. IN DETERMINING HOW CLOSE WE WERE TO EACH OTHER I WOULD ESTIMATE APPROX 1 MI HORIZ AND 500 FT VERT. THE PAX AND CABIN CREW SUSTAINED NO INJURIES AS A RESULT AND IN MY ESTIMATION WERE UNAWARE OF THE INCIDENT. AMAZINGLY; AT NO POINT DID THE CTLR WARN US OF THE PROX OF THE OTHER ACFT OR ATTEMPT TO TURN US AWAY AND MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT HE WAS SO CONSUMED WITH THE GA ACFT THAT HE MISSED US. AFTER SEVERAL MINS OF SILENCE; THE CTLR THEN ASKED BOTH OURSELVES AS WELL AS THE B737 CREW IF WE HAD BEEN GIVEN ANY SORT OF SPD RESTRS; TO WHICH WE BOTH REPLIED IN THE NEGATIVE. OBVIOUSLY; SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ON THE PART OF BOTH THE PHX DEP CTLR AS WELL AS THE ZAB CTLR WAS LOST AS WAS THEIR COORD AND REDUNDANCY REDUCING THE USUAL SEVERAL LAYERS OF SAFETY TO JUST TWO: THE PLTS AND TECHNOLOGY. IN THIS INCIDENT WHERE THE RATE OF CLOSURE WAS SOMEWHERE ON THE ORDER OF 500 KTS; THAT WAS VERY NEARLY NOT ENOUGH.