Medium Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 28; Flight Crew Total 18900; Flight Crew Type 1200
Workload; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors; Procedure
After departing IAD; we had been given a radar vector and subsequently been given direct to HAYGR. There were several climb clearances given to us. The second to the last; prior to the incident; was a climb to 14;000. Upon starting the level off at 13;800; we were given another clearance to climb to 16;000.We were operating a passenger demonstration flight so we were very careful to be smooth. Our climb rate was about 1;000 FPM. As a side note; this was the first flight with my first officer. However; we briefed how we would set the altitude alerter and confirm what the setting was.Our briefing was that the flying pilot; when the autopilot was engaged; would set the assigned altitude and point to it until the non-flying pilot would verify it and read back the clearance with ATC. If manually flying the aircraft; the non-flying pilot would set the altitude and it would be verified by the flying pilot.Since the autopilot was on I set it; he verified it and he read it back to ATC. He is a professional and that was apparent on this flight.Upon reaching about 14;800 in the climb the controller said that our initial assigned altitude 14;000; but did not give us any action to stop the climb or descend. I stopped the climb and was waiting for the controller; but he did not instruct us of any other actions. I believe he gave a heading; but before the turn could be done; we received an RA and climbed; leveling off at our assigned altitude of 16;000.Before handing us off to the center; the controller again repeated the 'your initial assigned altitude was 14;000 feet'. There was no real time to discuss it so we switched frequency to the center and continued.Potomac approach was contacted the following day and the supervisor said 'I have no record of any occurrence in our logs around that time; but I will research it if you want me to.' He continued to say; 'We have a lot of equipment that would report safety issues and this could have been an error on our part.'I guess we should have just climbed to the assigned altitude of 16;000 and straightened it out there.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
A flight crew reported responding to a TCAS RA climb at about 15;000 feet during climb out from IAD; after hearing a PCT climb clearance from 14;000 feet to 16;000 feet.