ACR MLG STOPS DSCNT IN RESPONSE TO TCASII TA.

Narrative

ON APCH TO ABE WE WERE VECTORED TO THE LOC. WHEN TURNED TO A HDG FOR LOC INTERCEPT AND CLRED FOR THE APCH OUR TCAS CALLED 'TFC'. WE WERE THEN NOTIFIED OF TFC BY APCH CTL AND VERY SHORTLY AFTER SAW THE TFC AT 10 O'CLOCK SLIGHTLY BELOW OUR ALT AND 1-2 MI AWAY. IT WAS A TWIN ENG PRIVATE ACFT. ABOUT THAT TIME I WAS APCHING THE LOC AND STOPPED MY DSCNT AND TURNED ON FINAL HOPING THE TURNING ACFT (MINE) IN A BANK WOULD BE MORE VISIBLE TO THE OTHER ACFT. I HAD THE OTHER ACFT IN VIEW UNTIL IT PASSED DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH MINE BUT WE WERE SEPARATED BY PERHAPS 300 FT AND I HAD STOPPED MY DSCNT TO PRECLUDE COLLISION. CONCLUSION: TCAS IS GREAT BUT YOU NEED ALMOST A FULL-TIME OPERATOR IN CONGESTED AREAS. WITH 2 PLTS; THE NEED TO FLY THE ACFT DEMANDS MOST OF YOUR ATTN AND TCAS BECOMES ALMOST A DISTR WITH ALL THE OTHER DEMANDS IT CAN'T BE UTILIZED FULLY. THE NEED TO LOOK AT THE DISPLAY; INTERPRET IT AND GET BACK OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT WHILE INTERCEPTING LOC ETC AND MONITORING ALTS ETC ALMOST DEGRADES YOUR ABILITY TO SEE WHAT'S OUT THERE BY LOOKING OUTSIDE IN THE FIRST PLACE!