ACR WDB ACFT OVERSHOT FINAL DURING A VISUAL APCH WHILE TURNING INTO A SETTING SUN.

Narrative

WE WERE DSNDING ON THE 24/25 PROFILE DSCNT INTO LAX WHEN WE WERE ASKED BY APCH CTL IF WE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT JUST BEFORE WE CROSSED SMO VOR. THE WX IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA WAS CLR BUT HAZY. WE COULD SEE THE ARPT CLRLY FROM SMO AT 10000 FT; BUT I KNEW WE WOULD HAVE TROUBLE ACQUIRING THE RWY WHEN LOOKING AT IT FROM THE E AT A GREATER DISTANCE AND LOWER ALT. THE CTLR ASKED US IF WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND WE ANSWERED AFFIRMATIVELY. SHORTLY AFTER SMO; WE WERE CLRED THE STADIUM VISUAL 24R. AFTER MAKING THE TURN AROUND THE STADIUM; THE CAPT STARTED CONFIGURING THE ACFT FOR LNDG WHEN APCH POINTED OUT TFC USING RWY 25L; AND SWITCHED US OVER TO THE TWR FREQ. THIS WAS A BUSY TIME; CONFIGURING THE ACFT; LOOKING FOR TFC; AND LOOKING FOR THE RWY THROUGH THE HAZE AND THE SETTING SUN. WITH EVERYONE'S EYES LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW INTO THE HAZE; WE DIDN'T NOTICE THE LOC WAS ACTIVE UNTIL WE WERE ALMOST ON THE LOC. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME; WE FINALLY SAW THE OTHER ACFT AND THE TWR WAS ADVISING US THAT WE HAD OVERSHOT THE RWY. THE SEPARATION BTWN THE 2 ACFT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS REQUIRED ON OUR PART OTHER THAN THE TURN WE WERE ALREADY MAKING TO CORRECT BACK TO 24R. A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) IT IS DIFFICULT TO BRIEF FOR A PARTICULAR APCH INTO LAX BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHICH RWY TO EXPECT. 2) THE PROFILE DSCNT STATES ON IT TO EXPECT RADAR VECTORS TO FINAL. 3) THE APCH FROM THE N WITH THE ASSOCIATED TFC CALLOUTS; ALT RESTRICTIONS; AND 90 DEG TURN TO FINAL. 4) LATE AFTERNOON SUN AND HAZE. SUGGESTIONS: 1) PUT THE APCHS TO BE USED ON ATIS OR GIVE THEM EARLIER IN THE APCH. 2) APCH CTLR SHOULD FOLLOW ALL APCHS UNTIL RWY ALIGNMENT IS ACHIEVED. 3) I WILL REQUEST VECTORS TO FINAL INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING THIS PARTICULAR APCH WHEN THE SUN IS SLOW IN THE W.