WRONG RWY APCH IN A NIGHT OP. RWY CHANGE IN PROGRESS; RWY IN USE SELECTION PROC.
Synopsis
WRONG RWY APCH IN A NIGHT OP. RWY CHANGE IN PROGRESS; RWY IN USE SELECTION PROC.
Narrative
NEW COPLT FLYING AND CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH TO RWY 24L AT LAX (AFTER CLRNC TO RWY 25L THEN RWY 24R). COPLT MISTOOK RWY 25L FOR RWY 24 COMPLEX. VIOLATED CLRNC AND LINED UP ON RWY 25L. FO'S IN MY SEAT POS COULD NOT SEE RWYS OR FO'S LOC DISPLAY. ALSO; INVOLVED WITH TFC WATCH WITH CAPT. AFTER ACFT ROLLED LEVEL CAPT AND I DISCOVERED ERROR AND TRIED TO DIRECT COPLT BACK TO CORRECT RWY. TWR ISSUED GAR TO UNEVENTFUL SECOND APCH AND LNDG. RWY 24 COMPLEX IS MARKEDLY LESS BRIGHTLY LIT THAN THE RWY 25 COMPLEX. MAKES RWY IDENT DIFFICULT ESPECIALLY AT LAX WITH PERSISTENT HAZE AND SMOG. HARDLY MAKES UP FOR MISSING SWING OF LOC; BUT COPLT WAS CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH. LIKE A MOTH TO A FLAME HE WENT FOR BRIGHTLY LIT RWY 25! SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 283540: FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO PROB OF MAKING A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 24L AND TRYING TO SEE IT WERE: 3 RWY CHANGES BY INTENSITY RWY LIGHTS ON THE N RWYS (24'S) AND HIGH INTENSITY LIGHTS ON THE S RWYS (25'S). COCKPIT WORKLOAD FOR PNF LOOKING FOR TFC; TUNING/IDENTING ILS AND RADIOS; MCP (MODE CTL PANEL) FUNCTIONS; CONFIGURING AND CHKLISTS. LOW-TIME FO. POOR HORIZ VISIBILITY TO THE W AT LAX. FREQ CHANGES IN PATTERN. HIGH ASSIGNED SPD (210 KTS). CLOSENESS ABEAM TO N COMPLEX. FO MISIDENTING RWY. CORRECTED TOWARD N COMPLEX AS SOON AS ILS WAS TUNED AND VISUAL MADE WITH S RWYS. A GAR WAS ISSUED BY LAX TWR. WE WERE TOLD TO TURN IN NOW FOR RWY 24L VISUAL (3RD RWY CHANGE IN LAST 3 MINS). I ASKED HIM IF HE SAW THE RWY; AND IF HE COULD MAKE THE VISUAL COMFORTABLY AS I COULDN'T SEE IT (BEING ON OTHER SIDE OF COCKPIT). THE FO (PF) SAID YES; HE COULD SEE IT AND MAKE IT. HE STARTED TURNING AND I WAS BUSY LOOKING UP THE THIRD ILS FREQ IN THE APCH; LOOKING FOR TFC; CHANGING TO TWR FREQ; RECONFIGURING ACFT; RUNNING THE MCP FOR PF AND ANSWERING FINAL CHKLIST ITEMS. THE SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED; HAD CTLR PUT US FAR ENOUGH ABEAM FOR THE RWY 24'S (HE HAD ORIGINALLY SET US UP FOR THE 25 RWYS). HAD THE 24 RWY LIGHTS BEEN ON AS BRIGHT AS THE RWY 25'S. HAD THE CTLRS NOT CHANGED RWYS 3 TIMES ON DOWNWIND LEG. HAD THEY SLOWED US PRIOR TO TURN.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.