Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Workload; Time Pressure
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict NMAC; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Procedure; Company Policy
We were on vectors with Approach Control over the vicinity of Frisco or The Colony; kind of on a long extended base leg; for an expected ILS to 17C. Frequency 127.05. We were given clearance to descend to 5000 ft. In the descent; at roughly 6500 ft; perhaps; we got a TA and the yellow traffic indicator at 12 o'clock. We could not spot the traffic initially. At about 6000 ft still in the descent; we got the RA and the red traffic indicator at 12 o'clock; plus new flight path guidance to climb. At that point; the Relief Pilot identified the traffic straight ahead and said it looked to be an experimental airplane. I disconnected the automation and hand flew the airplane in accordance with the RA instructions; which directed a climb. I smoothly climbed straight ahead to about 6500 ft or 7000 ft; roughly; the Captain (pilot monitoring) notified ATC of the RA; and I returned to the original altitude and airspeed once we were Clear of Conflict. On the ground; at the gate; the captain planned to notify Dispatch. I believe we came within 500 ft of the traffic; or possibly closer; which I think was at 5500 ft at the time.When we reported the RA to the ATC Controller; she said in response that she has that traffic on TCAS; or on her radar; or something to that effect. My thought was; 'Then why were we on vectors descending into it?'
There was a lot of traffic on the inbound complex; and the controller was very busy; but it seems there should have been some radar alert at atc; so the controller wouldn't vector and descend us through a transponder equipped VFR aircraft inside the Class B airspace on active runway finals. The TCAS saved us in the congested airspace; so I highly recommend aircrews pay attention to their TCASs; especially with the increased traffic flows of the new packed complexes.
An air carrier crew on vectors to DFW Runway 17C and descending to 5;000 ft followed a TCAS RA from an aircraft at 5;500 ft. The aircraft was in Class B; known to ATC but not reported to the pilots prior to the TCAS alert.