FLC TAKES A VECTOR THAT HAS THEM INTERCEPT THE LOC INSIDE THE OM. ACFT HAS ENOUGH OF AN INTERCEPT ANGLE THAT IT FLIES THROUGH THE LOC FAR ENOUGH THE COURSE DEV INDICATOR IS AT FULL DEFLECTION.

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FO FLYING ACFT. WE HAD BEEN ON DUTY 11 HRS; FLYING SJD (CABO; MEXICO)-LAX-SEA-SAN. ON LAST APCH TO SAN (XX50 LCL) WE RECEIVED A 10 MI TURN TO FINAL FOR LOC/DME RWY 27. INSIDE 9 NM LOC NEEDLE WAS STILL NOT ALIVE. WE BOTH COMMENTED ON LOUSY VECTOR AND CONTINUED DSCNT TO FAF ALT 2000 FT. AT 8 NM LOC NEEDLE ALIVE; AUTOPLT MADE A SLOW REACTION TO INTERCEPT; STILL IN IMC CONDITIONS. FO DISCONNECTED AUTOPLT IN ORDER TO MAKE FASTER CORRECTION AS WE APCHED FAF. BROKE OUT AT 5 NM AND BOTH WENT VISUAL; AND NEITHER OF US SAW RWY LIGHTS; ONLY LIGHTS OF BUILDINGS OF DOWNTOWN SAN. AT 4 NM I TOLD FO TO LEVEL OUT AS HE ADDED PWR. WE STOPPED DSCNT AT MDA OF 700 FT. WE THEN SAW FULL R DEFLECTION OF LOC NEEDLE AND SAW RWY OFFSET TO R. FO MADE OFFSET APCH AND NORMAL LNDG. THIS DEV IN MY OPINION OCCURRED FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS: 1) WE WERE TIRED FROM LONG DUTY DAY AND LATE HR; 2) APCH WAS TO SAN LINDBERG; A DIFFICULT RWY; 3) APCH WAS NON-PRECISION; AND 4) CONDITIONS WERE NIGHT; IMC. FURTHER EXACERBATING CONDITIONS: 1) SHORT TURN ON VECTOR 2) POOR VECTOR WHICH RESULTED IN LATE LOC INTERCEPT; 3) FO DECISION TO DISCONNECT AUTOPLT IN IMC CONDITIONS; AND 4) MY RELUCTANCE TO INSIST ON STANDARD PROCS WHICH WOULD HAVE REQUIRED FO TO STAY ON GAUGES UNTIL I CALLED 'RWY IN SIGHT.'