MD80 FLT CREW ON VISUAL APCH TO SFO EXPERIENCED TCAS RA WITH PRECEDING TFC PAIR LNDG ON RWY 28L-R AND ELECTED TO GAR.

Narrative

CLRED MOD 3 ARR INTO SFO. AFTER CEDES INTXN WE WERE GIVEN VECTORS TO INTERCEPT THE SFO 095 DEG RADIAL FOR THE QUIET BRIDGE VISUAL RWY 28R. WE WERE ASKED TO RPT A VISUAL ON THE SAN MATEO BRIDGE AND ASKED TO SLOW TO 180 KTS. AFTER A VISUAL OF THE BRIDGE WE WERE CLRED THE QUIET BRIDGE VISUAL RWY 28R. APCHING THE BRIDGE WE WERE ADVISED BY NORCAL APCH OF 2 BRASILIAS AHEAD OF US AND TO SLOW TO 150 KTS AND RPT THE TFC IN SIGHT. WE NEVER DID SEE THE TFC. AT THE BRIDGE WE WERE ASKED AGAIN TO RPT THE TFC AND AGAIN WE DID NOT SEE IT. NORCAL APCH THEN CANCELED OUR APCH CLRNC AND TOLD US TO FLY PRESENT HDG AND CLB TO 3000 FT. AS WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF COMPLYING; NORCAL TOLD US TO DISREGARD THE PREVIOUS INSTRUCTIONS; WE WERE RECLRED THE APCH AND THAT TWR HAD ACCEPTED OUR HDOF. AS WE WERE TALKING INITIALLY WITH TWR WE GOT A TCAS TFC ALERT ('MONITOR VERT SPD'). AS WE LEVELED OFF PER TCAS COMMANDS; WE GOT A 'CLR OF CONFLICT.' TWR UNAWARE OF THESE ALERTS CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 28R. AS WE WERE DSNDING; TWR ASKED AGAIN IF WE HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT. WE STILL DID NOT. WE NEXT GOT AN RA ALERT TELLING US TO CLB. AT THIS POINT; WE INITIATED A GAR WITH TWR. WE FEEL THAT ATC TFC SEPARATION AND COORD WAS EXTREMELY POOR THROUGHOUT THIS APCH. IT IS VERY HARD TO SEE SUCH SMALL ACFT BELOW US FRAMED AGAINST GRAY/DARK WATER.