NMAC OCCURS AS PIC OF SAAB SF340 FAILS TO MAINTAIN A VISUAL ON MD11 THAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW TO RWY 25L AT LAX. MD11 WAS CLRED FOR A SIDE-STEP TO RWY 25R.

Date: 1997-01 · Aircraft: MD-11 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

NMAC OCCURS AS PIC OF SAAB SF340 FAILS TO MAINTAIN A VISUAL ON MD11 THAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW TO RWY 25L AT LAX. MD11 WAS CLRED FOR A SIDE-STEP TO RWY 25R.

Narrative

WE WERE CLRED FOR AN ILS TO LAX RWY 25L. ABOUT 25 MI OUT; THE WX WAS CLR WITH VISIBILITY OF 7 MI. WE WERE LNDG TO THE W INTO THE SUN AND THE TRUE FLT VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 3 MI WITH HVY SMOG FROM THE GND TO 1500 FT MSL. THE VISIBILITY ABOVE 1500 FT MSL WAS 50 MI. WE WERE GIVEN TFC (A SAAB) ABOUT 5 MI TO THE S BY SOCAL APCH. WE HAD HIM IN SIGHT THE WHOLE TIME. HE WAS CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 25L TO FOLLOW US. HE SAID HE HAD US IN SIGHT. WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR A SIDE-STEP APCH TO RWY 25. THE MINIMUMS FOR SIDE-STEP RWY 25R ARE 1 1/2 MI AND 660 FT MSL. WE THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE EASY. WE THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE RWY 25R IN SIGHT BY THE LIMA OM ABOUT 7 MI OUT AND THEN WE COULD SLIDE OVER TO THE R. THE SAAB CAME IN CLOSE ON OUR L (ABOUT 100 YARDS) AS I WAS ON THE RWY 25L LOC; AT OUR ALT. WE FLEW FORMATION FOR ABOUT 2 MI. I THOUGHT HE WOULD STAY ON OUR L UNTIL WE MOVED OVER TO THE R WHEN WE HAD RWY 25R IN SIGHT. ABOUT 8 MI OUT; THE SAAB PULLED AHEAD A LITTLE AND SEEMED TO LOSE SIGHT OF US (VISIBILITY 50 MI) AND THEN MOVED OVER TO THE R DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US ON THE RWY 25L LOC ABOUT 50 YARDS AHEAD OF US AND WE WERE FORCED TO MOVE OVER TO THE R ABOUT 100 YARDS AND OFF THE RWY 25L LOC LONG BEFORE WE HAD RWY 25R IN SIGHT. THIS HAPPENED AT ABOUT THE OM. I WAS FORCED TO THE R; THE TCASII WAS SOUNDING. WE COULD NOT GO TOO MUCH FURTHER TO THE R BECAUSE OF RWY 24 TFC. I COULD NOT GO DOWN OR UP OR L. I COULD NOT SLOW AS I WAS AT APCH SPD (160 KTS). I WAS AFRAID THE SAAB WOULD SLOW AND WE WOULD HAVE A MIDAIR. I STAYED IN FORMATION ON THE SAAB ABOUT 100 YARDS TO THE R UNTIL WE HAD RWY 25R IN SIGHT. WE COULD NOT USE THE LOC AND WE DID NOT HAVE RWY 25R UNTIL ABOUT 3 MI OUT. I DO NOT KNOW WHY THE SAAB LOST SIGHT OF US AND DID NOT FOLLOW US. WX WAS NOT AS GIVEN ON ATIS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.