B737 turned final for wrong runway at lax during visual approach.

Attributes
ACN	612941
Time
Date	200403
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lax.airport
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Weather Elements	other
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : lax.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : approach descent : intermediate altitude
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	tower : lax.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Saab-Scania Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
ASRS Report	612941
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other anomaly other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued advisory flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : returned to intended or assigned course
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Weather Airport Environmental Factor Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

We were arriving and it was the first officer's leg. The WX was reported on the ATIS as clear and 3 mi in haze. Socal approach handed us off to lax tower with a base turn to final at about 9 mi for runway 24R to follow a saab, which we had reported in sight. As we were in our turn to 150 degrees, the saab disappeared into the haze and I asked the first officer if he still had the traffic in sight. He said negative, and we switched to the tower frequency and checked in for runway 24R and were cleared to land. The saab was reported on a 3 mi final and we had about 5 mi of trail. About that time, I saw the runway appearing at about 12 O'clock position. As we were rolling out with a little overshoot, I noticed that it appeared that we were well left of the course on the map display. At about that time, the tower said 'air carrier X, are you correcting to the right?' to which I responded yes, thinking that we were slightly left of runway 24R. That's when the first officer must have realized that the runway he first saw when he was turning base was actually runway 25R. We had lined up on the wrong runway. Back when the first officer was cleared for the approach, he disconnected the automation and hand flew the approach. I believe because of the visibility runway 25R was the first runway he saw after we lost sight of the saab. I think that I lost situational awareness with the map because I spent too much time looking for the traffic so that by the time I saw the divergence to the south of the localizer the damage was done. Socal approach will clear you for a visual approach without the airport in sight if you report that you have traffic in sight that has reported the airport in sight. Once you do this, you have taken full responsibility to line up on the correct runway. The circumstances led us to drop our guard just long enough to overshoot the intended runway because of the visibility. We should have been more vigilant in flying our instruments once we lost sight of the saab.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 TURNED FINAL FOR WRONG RWY AT LAX DURING VISUAL APCH.

Narrative: WE WERE ARRIVING AND IT WAS THE FO'S LEG. THE WX WAS RPTED ON THE ATIS AS CLR AND 3 MI IN HAZE. SOCAL APCH HANDED US OFF TO LAX TWR WITH A BASE TURN TO FINAL AT ABOUT 9 MI FOR RWY 24R TO FOLLOW A SAAB, WHICH WE HAD RPTED IN SIGHT. AS WE WERE IN OUR TURN TO 150 DEGS, THE SAAB DISAPPEARED INTO THE HAZE AND I ASKED THE FO IF HE STILL HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT. HE SAID NEGATIVE, AND WE SWITCHED TO THE TWR FREQ AND CHKED IN FOR RWY 24R AND WERE CLRED TO LAND. THE SAAB WAS RPTED ON A 3 MI FINAL AND WE HAD ABOUT 5 MI OF TRAIL. ABOUT THAT TIME, I SAW THE RWY APPEARING AT ABOUT 12 O'CLOCK POS. AS WE WERE ROLLING OUT WITH A LITTLE OVERSHOOT, I NOTICED THAT IT APPEARED THAT WE WERE WELL L OF THE COURSE ON THE MAP DISPLAY. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE TWR SAID 'ACR X, ARE YOU CORRECTING TO THE R?' TO WHICH I RESPONDED YES, THINKING THAT WE WERE SLIGHTLY L OF RWY 24R. THAT'S WHEN THE FO MUST HAVE REALIZED THAT THE RWY HE FIRST SAW WHEN HE WAS TURNING BASE WAS ACTUALLY RWY 25R. WE HAD LINED UP ON THE WRONG RWY. BACK WHEN THE FO WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH, HE DISCONNECTED THE AUTOMATION AND HAND FLEW THE APCH. I BELIEVE BECAUSE OF THE VISIBILITY RWY 25R WAS THE FIRST RWY HE SAW AFTER WE LOST SIGHT OF THE SAAB. I THINK THAT I LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WITH THE MAP BECAUSE I SPENT TOO MUCH TIME LOOKING FOR THE TFC SO THAT BY THE TIME I SAW THE DIVERGENCE TO THE S OF THE LOC THE DAMAGE WAS DONE. SOCAL APCH WILL CLR YOU FOR A VISUAL APCH WITHOUT THE ARPT IN SIGHT IF YOU RPT THAT YOU HAVE TFC IN SIGHT THAT HAS RPTED THE ARPT IN SIGHT. ONCE YOU DO THIS, YOU HAVE TAKEN FULL RESPONSIBILITY TO LINE UP ON THE CORRECT RWY. THE CIRCUMSTANCES LED US TO DROP OUR GUARD JUST LONG ENOUGH TO OVERSHOOT THE INTENDED RWY BECAUSE OF THE VISIBILITY. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE VIGILANT IN FLYING OUR INSTS ONCE WE LOST SIGHT OF THE SAAB.

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.