B757 CREW ON BASE FOR RWY 17C LNDG DFW RPTED SIGHTING AN MD80 ON THEIR R LNDG RWY 17L. THE CREW WAS NOT INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM THE MD80.

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ACFT #1 WAS VECTORED TO A BASE HDG 10000 FT ABOVE ACFT #2 TO A SEPARATE RWY. ACFT #1 RPTED ACFT #2 IN SIGHT AND WAS TOLD TO 'PASS ABOVE #2' AND 'CLRED VISUAL APCH' TO HIS RWY. #1 STARTED TO GET CLOSE TO ACFT #2. A TA WAS MADE TO #1 ASKING IF HE STILL HAD #2 IN SIGHT. ACFT #1 AFFIRMED STILL HAVING ACFT #2 IN SIGHT. ACFT #1 WAS ISSUED A FREQ CHANGED TO THE TWR. ON JUL/XA/04 WE RECEIVED A PLT COMPLAINT FROM ACFT #1. THE SIT WAS REVIEWED AND THE ARR CTLR RECEIVED AN OPERROR FOR NOT SAYING 'MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION.' THE PLT COMPLAINT ALSO STATED THAT HE WOULD HAVE FLOWN THE APCH DIFFERENT IN HINDSIGHT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 624399: ON DOWNWIND (CEDAR CREEK ARR) WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR RWY 17C APCH AND LNDG. WE WERE GIVEN L BASE TURN TO 260 DEG HDG AND CLRED TO 4000 FT. MD80 TFC WAS POINTED OUT TO OUR R (N). WE WERE ASKED IF WE HAD THE TFC AND ASKED IF WE SAW THE ARPT. WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL. MD80 PASSED BENEATH US AS WE CONTINUED THE TURN PAST 260 DEG HDG. AS MD80 PASSED BENEATH US WE RECEIVED 'TFC; TFC' AS WELL AS 'MONITOR VERT SPD.' SINCE WE WERE IN A L BANK; AS MD80 PASSED BENEATH US; IT LOOKED CLOSE. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE HAD A CONFLICT; BUT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WE COULD HAVE. WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY IS MAINTAIN THE 260 DEG HDG; EVEN WHILE ON VISUAL; TO KEEP OUR PROX TIME TO A MINIMUM. MD80 WAS ON VISUAL FOR RWY 17L AND WE WERE BEING MANEUVERED OVER THE TOP. I WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST AS HAPPY TO LET THE MD80 HAVE RWY 17C; AND WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED RWY 17L SO AS TO NOT CROSS OVER. AFTER BEING CLRED FOR THE VISUAL; FO CONTINUED PAST 260 DEG HDG.