Landing runway assignment confusion frequency congestion.

Attributes
ACN	114185
Time
Date	198906
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lax
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 4500 msl bound upper : 6000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : lax
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	descent : approach descent other
Route In Use	arrival other enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 6000 flight time type : 200
ASRS Report	114185
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Ambiguous
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

Captain flying. I was handling the radios. Cleared by lax approach for lax profile descent 24/25 from our flight from sjc to lax. Departed smo on 070 heading (cleared) and instructed to look for traffic landing 24 and traffic landing 25. Next, right turn for a base, cleared to 4500 MSL. Instructed several times about traffic landing under us to 24, when in sight, we would be cleared lower and switched to tower. We could not pick up the traffic due to dusk/haze conditions. Finally I called the 1 O'clock traffic in sight. Approach said 'follow the 1 O'clock traffic, contact tower'. The 1 O'clock traffic was landing on 25L, but we had been told to expect 25R. I switched to tower but he was very busy, could not get a word in. Finally asked if we were cleared to land. He said 'cleared to land 25R'. But we were almost over the threshold for 25L (following traffic). He then cleared us to land 25L. All this time I was very busy helping captain configure and get down and get checklist completed. We were prepared to 'go around' but could have been led into landing on wrong runway. I don't have a solution other than full instrument apches rather than visuals. Does 'follow traffic' override 'cleared 25R visual'?

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LNDG RWY ASSIGNMENT CONFUSION FREQ CONGESTION.

Narrative: CAPT FLYING. I WAS HANDLING THE RADIOS. CLRED BY LAX APCH FOR LAX PROFILE DSCNT 24/25 FROM OUR FLT FROM SJC TO LAX. DEPARTED SMO ON 070 HDG (CLRED) AND INSTRUCTED TO LOOK FOR TFC LNDG 24 AND TFC LNDG 25. NEXT, RIGHT TURN FOR A BASE, CLRED TO 4500 MSL. INSTRUCTED SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT TFC LNDG UNDER US TO 24, WHEN IN SIGHT, WE WOULD BE CLRED LOWER AND SWITCHED TO TWR. WE COULD NOT PICK UP THE TFC DUE TO DUSK/HAZE CONDITIONS. FINALLY I CALLED THE 1 O'CLOCK TFC IN SIGHT. APCH SAID 'FOLLOW THE 1 O'CLOCK TFC, CONTACT TWR'. THE 1 O'CLOCK TFC WAS LNDG ON 25L, BUT WE HAD BEEN TOLD TO EXPECT 25R. I SWITCHED TO TWR BUT HE WAS VERY BUSY, COULD NOT GET A WORD IN. FINALLY ASKED IF WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. HE SAID 'CLRED TO LAND 25R'. BUT WE WERE ALMOST OVER THE THRESHOLD FOR 25L (FOLLOWING TFC). HE THEN CLRED US TO LAND 25L. ALL THIS TIME I WAS VERY BUSY HELPING CAPT CONFIGURE AND GET DOWN AND GET CHECKLIST COMPLETED. WE WERE PREPARED TO 'GO AROUND' BUT COULD HAVE BEEN LED INTO LNDG ON WRONG RWY. I DON'T HAVE A SOLUTION OTHER THAN FULL INSTRUMENT APCHES RATHER THAN VISUALS. DOES 'FOLLOW TFC' OVERRIDE 'CLRED 25R VISUAL'?

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.