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Cleared visual approach 24L, shot approach and were cleared to land 24R. ATC erroneously thought flight was being hijacked and gave expedited treatment.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 118758 |
| Time | |
| Date | 198906 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : lax |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : sjc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach landing other |
| Route In Use | approach : visual |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : second officer |
| Qualification | pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 230 flight time total : 2160 flight time type : 200 |
| ASRS Report | 118758 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 128 flight time total : 8800 flight time type : 7000 |
| ASRS Report | 118759 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other other spatial deviation |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Ambiguous |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation other |
Narrative:
Due to long delay in fat, refiling en route to lax and a general lack of communication, lax approach and tower wrongly felt we were in a hijack situation. At this point, the crew was unaware of this wrong hijack assumption until taxi in at lax. Due to this scenario, we were expedited in an unusual manner as follows: we were given a visual approach on downwind abeam the field at 9000 ft MSL in marginal VFR conditions. We could see the field at this point and tuned and identified the lax 24L ILS and were cleared to shoot the approach. The visibility down-sun was good, but when turning final, visibility was somewhat reduced into the sun. Approximately 2-3 mi out, forward visibility reduced somewhat due to smog/haze patches. We continued following airport environmental visual cues in conjunction with localizer and glide slope information. We landed on the runway with localizer and glide slope centered on both HSI's. In retrospect, we feel that the ILS was switched from 24L to 24R after we identified ihqb without us knowing it. To expedite our arrival, tower then cleared us to land on the runway we were aligned with. On rollout, tower told us to inform him when we cleared the runway and to hold short of 24L. We were then cleared to cross 24L and contact ground. When we made the left turn onto juliet taxiway, ground told us to hold our position and contact airport operations. Operations asked if everything was alright and our flaps looked good to them. We were then cleared back to ground and taxied in. Upon arrival at the gate, the captain was contacted by operations and was told about the suspected hijack scenario. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter said that they may have spent about 30 minutes parked at the runup pad at fat while they tried to resolve a flight control problem. He is sure that ATC at fat forwarded the suspicion of a hijack occurring to lax ATC. He has no idea why they thought a hijack was taking place.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CLEARED VISUAL APCH 24L, SHOT APCH AND WERE CLEARED TO LAND 24R. ATC ERRONEOUSLY THOUGHT FLT WAS BEING HIJACKED AND GAVE EXPEDITED TREATMENT.
Narrative: DUE TO LONG DELAY IN FAT, REFILING ENRTE TO LAX AND A GENERAL LACK OF COM, LAX APCH AND TWR WRONGLY FELT WE WERE IN A HIJACK SITUATION. AT THIS POINT, THE CREW WAS UNAWARE OF THIS WRONG HIJACK ASSUMPTION UNTIL TAXI IN AT LAX. DUE TO THIS SCENARIO, WE WERE EXPEDITED IN AN UNUSUAL MANNER AS FOLLOWS: WE WERE GIVEN A VISUAL APCH ON DOWNWIND ABEAM THE FIELD AT 9000 FT MSL IN MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. WE COULD SEE THE FIELD AT THIS POINT AND TUNED AND IDENTIFIED THE LAX 24L ILS AND WERE CLRED TO SHOOT THE APCH. THE VISIBILITY DOWN-SUN WAS GOOD, BUT WHEN TURNING FINAL, VISIBILITY WAS SOMEWHAT REDUCED INTO THE SUN. APPROX 2-3 MI OUT, FORWARD VISIBILITY REDUCED SOMEWHAT DUE TO SMOG/HAZE PATCHES. WE CONTINUED FOLLOWING ARPT ENVIRONMENTAL VISUAL CUES IN CONJUNCTION WITH LOC AND GLIDE SLOPE INFO. WE LANDED ON THE RWY WITH LOC AND GLIDE SLOPE CENTERED ON BOTH HSI'S. IN RETROSPECT, WE FEEL THAT THE ILS WAS SWITCHED FROM 24L TO 24R AFTER WE IDENTIFIED IHQB WITHOUT US KNOWING IT. TO EXPEDITE OUR ARR, TWR THEN CLRED US TO LAND ON THE RWY WE WERE ALIGNED WITH. ON ROLLOUT, TWR TOLD US TO INFORM HIM WHEN WE CLRED THE RWY AND TO HOLD SHORT OF 24L. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO CROSS 24L AND CONTACT GND. WHEN WE MADE THE LEFT TURN ONTO JULIET TXWY, GND TOLD US TO HOLD OUR POSITION AND CONTACT ARPT OPERATIONS. OPERATIONS ASKED IF EVERYTHING WAS ALRIGHT AND OUR FLAPS LOOKED GOOD TO THEM. WE WERE THEN CLRED BACK TO GND AND TAXIED IN. UPON ARR AT THE GATE, THE CAPT WAS CONTACTED BY OPERATIONS AND WAS TOLD ABOUT THE SUSPECTED HIJACK SCENARIO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: REPORTER SAID THAT THEY MAY HAVE SPENT ABOUT 30 MINUTES PARKED AT THE RUNUP PAD AT FAT WHILE THEY TRIED TO RESOLVE A FLT CONTROL PROBLEM. HE IS SURE THAT ATC AT FAT FORWARDED THE SUSPICION OF A HIJACK OCCURRING TO LAX ATC. HE HAS NO IDEA WHY THEY THOUGHT A HIJACK WAS TAKING PLACE.
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.