Narrative:

Crossing santa monica VOR at 7000' medium large transport X was given clearance to descend to 4000', slow to 210 KTS and told to expect runway 24R (24L was closed due to construction on the txwys). Medium large transport X acknowledged and completed the approach checklist. At 1A medium large transport X was given descent clearance to 2500' and told the runway would now be runway 25L localizer frequency 109.9. At 1B small transport Y told ATC they had medium large transport X and the airport in sight. ATC told small transport Y to follow medium large transport X and medium large transport X was for runway 25L and small transport Y was cleared for the visual approach runway 25R. Between points 1A and 2A as the copilot and the PNF, I started to look to the left of our aircraft trying to spot small transport Y. At 2A medium large transport X was told to turn to a heading of 120 degrees and to slow to 170 KTS. At this point I told the captain that small transport Y at 12 O'clock was supposed to follow us and to keep him in sight because small transport Y messed up. Small transport Y had already passed in front of medium large transport X and could not have followed medium large transport X to the airport. At 3A ATC told medium large transport X to turn to heading 180 degrees and then changed it to 160 degrees. Also to advise the airport in sight. Medium large transport X responded heading 160 degrees negative on the airport. At this point the captain told me he lost sight of small transport Y. I advised him that I still had small transport Y in sight and would tell ATC of small transport Y's mess up. At 4A ATC asked medium large transport X if we had the airport in sight and that our traffic was small transport Z on a straight in approach crossing the OM for runway 25L. I advised ATC negative on the airport and the traffic. I also advised ATC that I had small transport Y that was to follow us in sight at 12 O'clock. At 5A ATC told medium large transport X to turn to heading 230 degrees intercept the localizer to runway 25L. At 5B ATC asked small transport Y if he still had medium large transport X in sight. Small transport Y said no, that medium large transport X was behind him. ATC advised small transport Y that he was to follow medium large transport X. The captain decided not to intercept the localizer and fly parallel. At this point small transport Y had already crossed the localizer and was turning back to final. The captain at this point was calling for flaps and gear down to avoid outrunning small transport Y. ATC asked small transport Y if he could get behind medium large transport X or if he needed the left runway. Small transport Y told ATC that he could not get behind medium large transport X and that he needed the left runway (the localizer was on runway 25L). ATC then told small transport Y he was cleared for visual runway 25L. At 7A ATC told medium large transport X to change runway to runway 25R cleared visual approach. I advised ATC negative on the airport and we were about to go IFR. Medium large transport X was approaching a local obscuration--visibility less than 1/4 mi. ATC's response was 'don't worry, you should see the airport in a moment.' at this point the captain asked me if I had small transport Y and could he safely make a missed approach, I told the captain that small transport Y was above and to his left and that if he wanted to miss approach, he could. The captain did not feel comfortable executing a missed when he did not see the traffic. We were below the obscuration and in the clear, so the captain decided to continue. Medium large transport X was just inside the OM before we saw the airport to make the visual approach. At this point our speed was much greater than that of small transport Y. Small transport Y looked like he was lined up for the left and medium large transport X was lined up for the right. The captain called for the before landing checklist and a normal landing followed. The captain made a phone call to ATC (approach control) and their comment was 'small transport Y messed up.' nothing was solved with ATC. I told the captain that this has happened before and that ATC would do nothing to solve the problem with visual approachs and that we should file a NASA report.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR-SMT FAILED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION AND CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH ACR-MLG ON FINAL APCH COURSE.

Narrative: XING SANTA MONICA VOR AT 7000' MLG X WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO DSND TO 4000', SLOW TO 210 KTS AND TOLD TO EXPECT RWY 24R (24L WAS CLOSED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION ON THE TXWYS). MLG X ACKNOWLEDGED AND COMPLETED THE APCH CHKLIST. AT 1A MLG X WAS GIVEN DSCNT CLRNC TO 2500' AND TOLD THE RWY WOULD NOW BE RWY 25L LOC FREQ 109.9. AT 1B SMT Y TOLD ATC THEY HAD MLG X AND THE ARPT IN SIGHT. ATC TOLD SMT Y TO FOLLOW MLG X AND MLG X WAS FOR RWY 25L AND SMT Y WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH RWY 25R. BTWN POINTS 1A AND 2A AS THE COPLT AND THE PNF, I STARTED TO LOOK TO THE LEFT OF OUR ACFT TRYING TO SPOT SMT Y. AT 2A MLG X WAS TOLD TO TURN TO A HDG OF 120 DEGS AND TO SLOW TO 170 KTS. AT THIS POINT I TOLD THE CAPT THAT SMT Y AT 12 O'CLOCK WAS SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW US AND TO KEEP HIM IN SIGHT BECAUSE SMT Y MESSED UP. SMT Y HAD ALREADY PASSED IN FRONT OF MLG X AND COULD NOT HAVE FOLLOWED MLG X TO THE ARPT. AT 3A ATC TOLD MLG X TO TURN TO HDG 180 DEGS AND THEN CHANGED IT TO 160 DEGS. ALSO TO ADVISE THE ARPT IN SIGHT. MLG X RESPONDED HDG 160 DEGS NEGATIVE ON THE ARPT. AT THIS POINT THE CAPT TOLD ME HE LOST SIGHT OF SMT Y. I ADVISED HIM THAT I STILL HAD SMT Y IN SIGHT AND WOULD TELL ATC OF SMT Y'S MESS UP. AT 4A ATC ASKED MLG X IF WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND THAT OUR TFC WAS SMT Z ON A STRAIGHT IN APCH XING THE OM FOR RWY 25L. I ADVISED ATC NEGATIVE ON THE ARPT AND THE TFC. I ALSO ADVISED ATC THAT I HAD SMT Y THAT WAS TO FOLLOW US IN SIGHT AT 12 O'CLOCK. AT 5A ATC TOLD MLG X TO TURN TO HDG 230 DEGS INTERCEPT THE LOC TO RWY 25L. AT 5B ATC ASKED SMT Y IF HE STILL HAD MLG X IN SIGHT. SMT Y SAID NO, THAT MLG X WAS BEHIND HIM. ATC ADVISED SMT Y THAT HE WAS TO FOLLOW MLG X. THE CAPT DECIDED NOT TO INTERCEPT THE LOC AND FLY PARALLEL. AT THIS POINT SMT Y HAD ALREADY CROSSED THE LOC AND WAS TURNING BACK TO FINAL. THE CAPT AT THIS POINT WAS CALLING FOR FLAPS AND GEAR DOWN TO AVOID OUTRUNNING SMT Y. ATC ASKED SMT Y IF HE COULD GET BEHIND MLG X OR IF HE NEEDED THE LEFT RWY. SMT Y TOLD ATC THAT HE COULD NOT GET BEHIND MLG X AND THAT HE NEEDED THE LEFT RWY (THE LOC WAS ON RWY 25L). ATC THEN TOLD SMT Y HE WAS CLRED FOR VISUAL RWY 25L. AT 7A ATC TOLD MLG X TO CHANGE RWY TO RWY 25R CLRED VISUAL APCH. I ADVISED ATC NEGATIVE ON THE ARPT AND WE WERE ABOUT TO GO IFR. MLG X WAS APCHING A LCL OBSCURATION--VIS LESS THAN 1/4 MI. ATC'S RESPONSE WAS 'DON'T WORRY, YOU SHOULD SEE THE ARPT IN A MOMENT.' AT THIS POINT THE CAPT ASKED ME IF I HAD SMT Y AND COULD HE SAFELY MAKE A MISSED APCH, I TOLD THE CAPT THAT SMT Y WAS ABOVE AND TO HIS LEFT AND THAT IF HE WANTED TO MISS APCH, HE COULD. THE CAPT DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE EXECUTING A MISSED WHEN HE DID NOT SEE THE TFC. WE WERE BELOW THE OBSCURATION AND IN THE CLEAR, SO THE CAPT DECIDED TO CONTINUE. MLG X WAS JUST INSIDE THE OM BEFORE WE SAW THE ARPT TO MAKE THE VISUAL APCH. AT THIS POINT OUR SPD WAS MUCH GREATER THAN THAT OF SMT Y. SMT Y LOOKED LIKE HE WAS LINED UP FOR THE LEFT AND MLG X WAS LINED UP FOR THE RIGHT. THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST AND A NORMAL LNDG FOLLOWED. THE CAPT MADE A PHONE CALL TO ATC (APCH CTL) AND THEIR COMMENT WAS 'SMT Y MESSED UP.' NOTHING WAS SOLVED WITH ATC. I TOLD THE CAPT THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND THAT ATC WOULD DO NOTHING TO SOLVE THE PROB WITH VISUAL APCHS AND THAT WE SHOULD FILE A NASA RPT.

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.