Narrative:

On quiet bridge visual approach to runway 28R at sfo. We were cleared for the approach and told we had traffic going to runway 28L that had us in sight. Approximately 5 mi out, traffic was again called out and I was told to contact tower. I told approach that I probably couldn't see the traffic because I was looking for it directly into the sun. I then saw the aircraft, reported seeing it, and was told to maintain visual separation and again to contact tower. When I contacted tower, I was told not to pass the aircraft on approach to runway 28L. I responded that I was unable to keep from passing that aircraft. I was then cleared to land and I landed without further incident. After visually acquiring the traffic, in my judgement, we were not so close as to create a collision hazard. In hindsight, I now believe my wake turbulence could possibly have caused a problem for the smaller aircraft. The distraction of looking to acquire the other aircraft visually, while flying the approach procedure, and running checklist caused me to be somewhat late in configuring and slowing my aircraft, which accentuated the speed disparity between the 2 airplanes. Another contributing factor was that we were never given any speed advisories with the other aircraft, or assigned any speed to fly during the approach. This would have allowed for better sequencing of the 2 aircraft. To prevent a future occurrence of an event similar to this, I would suggest better speed advisories from ATC, especially if an aircraft doesn't have visual contact on other traffic until being so close to the airport. Supplemental information from acn 535282: even if we had slowed/configured earlier we would have still passed the slower commuter somewhere down final. When we overtook he advised that he could remain visual separated from us. The basic problem here was sequencing of very different aircraft. The sun angle and the communication handoff between approach and tower right as both aircraft converged just complicated the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TURNING ONTO SFO RWY 28R FINAL FOR A VISUAL APCH, DC10 WAS TOLD NOT TO PASS E120 INBOUND FOR RWY 28L. AFTER ADVISING 'UNABLE,' DC10 CLRED TO LAND.

Narrative: ON QUIET BRIDGE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 28R AT SFO. WE WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH AND TOLD WE HAD TFC GOING TO RWY 28L THAT HAD US IN SIGHT. APPROX 5 MI OUT, TFC WAS AGAIN CALLED OUT AND I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT TWR. I TOLD APCH THAT I PROBABLY COULDN'T SEE THE TFC BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING FOR IT DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN. I THEN SAW THE ACFT, RPTED SEEING IT, AND WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION AND AGAIN TO CONTACT TWR. WHEN I CONTACTED TWR, I WAS TOLD NOT TO PASS THE ACFT ON APCH TO RWY 28L. I RESPONDED THAT I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP FROM PASSING THAT ACFT. I WAS THEN CLRED TO LAND AND I LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AFTER VISUALLY ACQUIRING THE TFC, IN MY JUDGEMENT, WE WERE NOT SO CLOSE AS TO CREATE A COLLISION HAZARD. IN HINDSIGHT, I NOW BELIEVE MY WAKE TURB COULD POSSIBLY HAVE CAUSED A PROB FOR THE SMALLER ACFT. THE DISTR OF LOOKING TO ACQUIRE THE OTHER ACFT VISUALLY, WHILE FLYING THE APCH PROC, AND RUNNING CHKLIST CAUSED ME TO BE SOMEWHAT LATE IN CONFIGURING AND SLOWING MY ACFT, WHICH ACCENTUATED THE SPD DISPARITY BTWN THE 2 AIRPLANES. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THAT WE WERE NEVER GIVEN ANY SPD ADVISORIES WITH THE OTHER ACFT, OR ASSIGNED ANY SPD TO FLY DURING THE APCH. THIS WOULD HAVE ALLOWED FOR BETTER SEQUENCING OF THE 2 ACFT. TO PREVENT A FUTURE OCCURRENCE OF AN EVENT SIMILAR TO THIS, I WOULD SUGGEST BETTER SPD ADVISORIES FROM ATC, ESPECIALLY IF AN ACFT DOESN'T HAVE VISUAL CONTACT ON OTHER TFC UNTIL BEING SO CLOSE TO THE ARPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 535282: EVEN IF WE HAD SLOWED/CONFIGURED EARLIER WE WOULD HAVE STILL PASSED THE SLOWER COMMUTER SOMEWHERE DOWN FINAL. WHEN WE OVERTOOK HE ADVISED THAT HE COULD REMAIN VISUAL SEPARATED FROM US. THE BASIC PROB HERE WAS SEQUENCING OF VERY DIFFERENT ACFT. THE SUN ANGLE AND THE COM HDOF BTWN APCH AND TWR RIGHT AS BOTH ACFT CONVERGED JUST COMPLICATED THE PROB.

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.