B727 FLC ON VISUAL APCH INTO LAX OVERSHOOTS CTRLINE WITH MD80 ON PARALLEL. LTSS.

Narrative

PRIOR TO HDOF TO LOS ANGELES APCH CTL; SOCAL APCH ADVISED US TO EXPECT THE STADIUM VISUAL TO RWY 24R. OUR POS WAS JUST E OF SMO VOR; DSNDING TO 3500 FT MSL. WHILE STILL FLYING ON THE 068 DEG RADIAL OF SMO WE WERE HANDED OFF TO LAX APCH. THEY CALLED TFC AT OUR 1-2 O'CLOCK POS; AN MD80. I RPTED THE TFC IN SIGHT; AT WHICH TIME LAX APCH ADVISED US TO FOLLOW THAT TFC; CLRED FOR THE STADIUM VISUAL TO RWY 24R. I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC TO RWY 24R. AT ABOUT THE TIME WE WOULD HAVE TURNED BASE AS PER THE PUBLISHED PROC; APCH GAVE US A VECTOR AND A SPD REDUCTION TO (I THINK) 170 KTS. WE RE-TUNED OUR NAVAIDS FOR THE LOC/DME RWY 24R; 108.5; AND SET 249 DEGS IN THE COURSE WINDOW. WHEN WE LOOKED UP; AN MD80 WAS IN OUR 12 O'CLOCK POS; LOWER; LINED UP TO WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS THE N COMPLEX (RWYS 24L/R). WE QUERIED THE CTLR AS TO HIS (THE MD80'S) RWY AND WE WERE TOLD HE WAS LINED UP FOR THE S COMPLEX (RWYS 25L/R). WE QUERIED A SECOND TIME THEN STARTED A TURN TO THE W TO PARALLEL THE TFC. APCH ADVISED US NOT TO OVERSHOOT OUR FINAL AND GAVE US A TURN TO 290 DEGS TO REESTABLISH OURSELVES ON RWY 24R. DURING THE TURN THE N COMPLEX CAME INTO VIEW. WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO CALL APCH VIA TELEPHONE. 2 FACTORS IN THIS EVENT ARE THE CTLR'S VECTOR TO BASE LEG; WHICH ESSENTIALLY CANCELS THE PUBLISHED APCH PROC UNTIL VECTORED BACK ONTO IT; AND THE DISPARITY OF THE N VERSUS S COMPLEX; WHICH BECAUSE OF THEIR STAGGERED LAYOUT AND TURNING INTO THE HAZY SUN THE S COMPLEX IS VISIBLE PRIOR TO THE ASSIGNED N COMPLEX. SUBSEQUENT VECTORS TO FINAL WOULD HAVE PRECLUDED THIS EVENT.