B757 CREW HAVE DIFFICULTY SIGHTING TFC AND CONFIGURING FOR A STABILIZED APCH INTO CVG.

Narrative

THIS SIT HAD ITS BEGINNING ON THE DOWNWIND LEG FOR AN APCH TO CVG RWY 18L. THE WX WAS CAVU AND WE WERE IN CONTACT WITH CINCINNATI APCH CTL THROUGHOUT. AS WE TURNED BASE LEG (HEADING 270 DEGS); WE WERE GIVEN A DSCNT TO 4000 FT MSL). WE APPEARED TO BE HIGH AND APCH CTL GAVE US A SPD OF 180 KTS AND LOOK FOR 'CANADAIR' TFC TO THE S. WE SIGHTED TFC ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE TO RWY 18L AT 11 O'CLOCK LOW POS. IT APPEARED TO BE A CRJ; SO I RPTED THE 'TFC IN SIGHT.' WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 18L FOLLOWING THE CANADAIR. OUR SIGHTED TFC SEEMED TO BE 'NO FACTOR' IN OUR APCH; SO WE WONDERED ABOUT THE SPD RESTR; BUT MAINTAINED OUR ASSIGNED SPD IN COMPLIANCE WITH ATC. DUE TO THE REDUCED SPD; MY FO WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING THE ACFT DOWN AND I WAS QUITE FOCUSED ON HELPING HIM CONFIGURE THE ACFT; SO AS TO GET ON A STABILIZED APCH BY 1000 FT (AGL). A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS HAPPENED IN RAPID SUCCESSION (WHOSE ORDER I AM NOT QUITE CERTAIN): APCHING FRAZE INTXN (ON THE ILS TO RWY 18L -- FAF/FAP) WE CONTINUED TO THE HIGH AND WERE CONFIGURING; BUT A CRJ APPEARED IN MY FIELD OF VISION ABOUT 1/2-1 MI AHEAD IN A L TURN FOR RWY 18L (AS IF TURNING FINAL FROM A L BASE). WE HAD NOT SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ DUE TO MY PREOCCUPATION WITH THESE OTHER EVENTS; BUT IT WAS IN MY MIND TO DO SO AND WAS PRE-SELECTED IN THE INACTIVE FREQ CTL HEAD. SOMETIME DURING THIS COURSE OF EVENTS THE APCH CTLR CALLED US TO SEE IF WE WERE STILL ON HIS FREQ. OF COURSE; WE WERE AND HE CALLED THE TFC WE OBSERVED AND GAVE US A 090 DEG HDG AND A CLB TO 2500 FT MSL. WE WERE NOW INSIDE FRAZE APCHING THE RIVER WITH AN ALT AROUND 2100 FT MSL. (FRAZE GS INTERCEPTION ALT IS 2400 FT MSL.) WE EXECUTED THE GAR AND TURNED DOWNWIND; BASE LEG AND FINAL APCH AND LNDG WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AT NO TIME DID WE RECEIVE A TCASII ALERT (TA OR RA). I SUSPECT THE TWR CTLR HAD CALLED US ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS; BECAUSE IN-TRAIL SEPARATION HAD BEEN REDUCED AND THE FACT THAT WE WERE STILL ON APCH CTL WAS A CAUSE FOR CONCERN; BUT; IT DOES NOT MITIGATE THE FACT THAT THE MAIN CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS INCIDENT WAS (WHAT I ASSUME WAS THE CASE) MISIDENT OF THE CALLED TFC. SECONDARY WAS MY DISTR OF TRYING TO ASSIST THE FO WITH CONFIGURING THE ACFT; GETTING THE ACFT DOWN AND COMPLETING THE CHKLISTS. I WAS PRIORITIZING IN ORDER: AVIATE; NAVIGATE AND COMMUNICATE. I MIGHT HAVE SOME MINOR CRITICISM OF THE MANNER IN WHICH APCH CTL CALLED OUT OUR TFC. RATHER THAN USE A CLOCK POS WITH THE ADDITION OF HIGH; LOW; LEVEL; CLBING; DSNDING; ETC; HE CHOSE TO GIVE A CARDINAL COURSE/HEADING. THIS IN NO WAY EXCUSES ME FROM MY 'SEE AND AVOID' RESPONSIBILITY IN VISUAL CONDITIONS. NOTE: THE APCH CTLR SEEMED TO BE SWITCHING MOST ACFT AHEAD OF US TO TWR FREQ UPON ISSUING CLRNC FOR THE VISUAL APCH. I DO NOT REMEMBER THIS TO BE THE CASE WITH US; THOUGH THERE WERE NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF BLOCKED RADIO XMISSIONS ON THIS FREQ. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT I RECEIVED THE SWITCH TO TWR; BUT DID NOT DUE TO TASK SATURATION AT THE TIME; BUT I DO REMEMBER LOOKING UP THE TWR FREQ AND PRE-SELECTING IT IN THE INACTIVE RADIO CTL PANEL SELECTION WINDOW. I WAS CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT WE HAD NOT SWITCHED TO TWR WHEN WE ARRIVED AT FRAZE AND WAS IN THE MIDST OF FLAP SELECTION FOR THE FO.