Narrative:

Vectored to visual final approach with ILS tuned as backup. Traffic following in sight, also one on final for south complex. First officer had our traffic in sight. I spotted one for south complex (I mistook him for our traffic, airport in sight but hazy). We were given a heading and cleared for a visual runway 24R. The heading put us intercepting the south complex traffic which I thought was our traffic. I was worried about spacing on that heading, so I slowed way down, took up a spacing heading, and watched him and the localizer needle. Suddenly, the needle came alive and the first officer shouted we were overshooting. I made an immediate turn back to intercept final for runway 24R. We both then realized we were watching different targets. I did not check localizer frequently enough. We also could have communicated better with each other because there was no spacing problem on our actual following traffic. We did not transgress into the south complex final path but too close for good safe operations. Supplemental information from acn 403080: approach gave us a heading of 220 degrees, told us to go to tower, and pointed out additional traffic on our nose (via the 220 degree heading) for the south complex (runway 25L/right). The captain was concerned about the traffic called out for the south complex, and though I pointed it out to him, he did not have a clear visual on it or the traffic ahead of us on runway 24R. I told the captain the south complex traffic on our nose was no factor, and looked down at the approach plate to confirm ground frequency and entered it on the radio head. I then looked up and saw on the ILS raw data, and then visually, that we had overshot runway 24R and were slightly left of runway 24L's centerline. I immediately called for the captain to come full right (30 degrees of bank) for runway 24R. Though the callout from approach on the aircraft to the south complex was an unnecessary distraction, better xchk of the raw data localizer information would have prevented the overshoot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CREW WAS ASSIGNED A VISUAL APCH TO FOLLOW TFC AHEAD. CAPT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT SPACING SO HE SLOWED AND INCREASED INTERCEPT ANGLE. CAPT AND FO WERE WATCHING DIFFERENT TFC. IN THE CONFUSION, CREW OVERSHOT TURN TO FINAL. CREW CORRECTED AND AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE.

Narrative: VECTORED TO VISUAL FINAL APCH WITH ILS TUNED AS BACKUP. TFC FOLLOWING IN SIGHT, ALSO ONE ON FINAL FOR S COMPLEX. FO HAD OUR TFC IN SIGHT. I SPOTTED ONE FOR S COMPLEX (I MISTOOK HIM FOR OUR TFC, ARPT IN SIGHT BUT HAZY). WE WERE GIVEN A HDG AND CLRED FOR A VISUAL RWY 24R. THE HDG PUT US INTERCEPTING THE S COMPLEX TFC WHICH I THOUGHT WAS OUR TFC. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT SPACING ON THAT HDG, SO I SLOWED WAY DOWN, TOOK UP A SPACING HDG, AND WATCHED HIM AND THE LOC NEEDLE. SUDDENLY, THE NEEDLE CAME ALIVE AND THE FO SHOUTED WE WERE OVERSHOOTING. I MADE AN IMMEDIATE TURN BACK TO INTERCEPT FINAL FOR RWY 24R. WE BOTH THEN REALIZED WE WERE WATCHING DIFFERENT TARGETS. I DID NOT CHK LOC FREQUENTLY ENOUGH. WE ALSO COULD HAVE COMMUNICATED BETTER WITH EACH OTHER BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SPACING PROB ON OUR ACTUAL FOLLOWING TFC. WE DID NOT TRANSGRESS INTO THE S COMPLEX FINAL PATH BUT TOO CLOSE FOR GOOD SAFE OPS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 403080: APCH GAVE US A HDG OF 220 DEGS, TOLD US TO GO TO TWR, AND POINTED OUT ADDITIONAL TFC ON OUR NOSE (VIA THE 220 DEG HDG) FOR THE S COMPLEX (RWY 25L/R). THE CAPT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE TFC CALLED OUT FOR THE S COMPLEX, AND THOUGH I POINTED IT OUT TO HIM, HE DID NOT HAVE A CLR VISUAL ON IT OR THE TFC AHEAD OF US ON RWY 24R. I TOLD THE CAPT THE S COMPLEX TFC ON OUR NOSE WAS NO FACTOR, AND LOOKED DOWN AT THE APCH PLATE TO CONFIRM GND FREQ AND ENTERED IT ON THE RADIO HEAD. I THEN LOOKED UP AND SAW ON THE ILS RAW DATA, AND THEN VISUALLY, THAT WE HAD OVERSHOT RWY 24R AND WERE SLIGHTLY L OF RWY 24L'S CTRLINE. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR THE CAPT TO COME FULL R (30 DEGS OF BANK) FOR RWY 24R. THOUGH THE CALLOUT FROM APCH ON THE ACFT TO THE S COMPLEX WAS AN UNNECESSARY DISTR, BETTER XCHK OF THE RAW DATA LOC INFO WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE OVERSHOOT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.