AN ACR B757-200 HAD TO MAKE 3 TRIES TO GET INTO LGA ON THE EXPRESSWAY VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31. NIGHT OP. WX FACTORS 11 KTS RIGHT DOWN THE RWY. NMAC IN THE EYES OF THE RPTRS. FLC DISTR GND LIGHTS; COCKPIT DUTIES.

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WE WERE INBOUND TO THE TANKS ON THE EXPRESSWAY VISUAL RWY 31 TO LGA DSNDING TO 2500 FT. ATC ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO POINT OUT THE TFC THAT WE WERE TO FOLLOW. WE COULDN'T FIND HIM IN THE SEA OF LIGHTS; SO ATC TOOK US OUT OF THE PATTERN AND VECTORED US BACK TO THE TANKS. ATC POINTED OUT OUR TFC TO FOLLOW OVER TANKS AND WE CALLED THE TFC IN SIGHT. WE FOLLOWED THE ACFT OVER THE TANKS AND TURNED TO 085 DEGS TO FOLLOW THE EXPRESSWAY AND OUR TFC. WE CONFIGURED FOR LNDG AND WERE AT ABOUT 130 KTS AS WE STARTED TO TURN AROUND SHEA STADIUM TO PICK UP THE VASI. WE WERE BOTH LOOKING TO THE L TO MAKE THE TURN AROUND SHEA WHEN THE TCASII DISPLAYED AN RA. TCASII INDICATED A RED TARGET AT APPROX 1-2 O'CLOCK AND 100 FT BELOW OUR ALT. I LOOKED OUT AS I BEGAN TO GAR TO SEE THIS JET WHICH APPEARED TO BE FLYING A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 31. ATC TOLD US TO TURN TO 100 DEGS AND CLB TO 2000 FT. AS WE WERE TURNING TO 100 DEGS; ATC ASKED US OUR HDG. WE WERE PASSING 070 DEGS AND ATC SAID TURN TO 040 DEGS. NEXT THEY GAVE US 270 DEGS AND 4000 FT. WE WERE GIVEN A SERIES OF HDG CHANGES VERY QUICKLY INCLUDING A COMMAND TO FOLLOW THE HUDSON RIVER WHICH WAS 12 O'CLOCK AND APPROX 5 MI. IN THE MEANTIME; WE RECEIVED A TCASII ADVISORY WHICH TURNED TO AN RA TO CLB. WE BEGAN CLB AND RA QUICKLY WAS RESOLVED. ATC POINTED THIS TFC OUT TO US AND WE DID HAVE HIM IN SIGHT. WE WERE ONCE AGAIN VECTORED AROUND FOR THE EXPRESSWAY VISUAL AND LANDED. WE NOTICED SEVERAL ACFT WERE HAVING TROUBLE PICKING UP THEIR TFC TO FOLLOW. THIS APCH IS MUCH EASIER DURING THE DAY BECAUSE YOU CAN LOOK AWAY FROM YOUR TFC TO SCAN YOUR INSTS AND THEN LOOK BACK OUT AND EASILY RE-IDENT YOUR TFC. AT NIGHT THIS IS A REAL CHALLENGE. IT'S MUCH HARDER TO FIND YOUR TFC IN THE SEA OF LIGHTS. THIS APCH IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN; PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE B757-200. THE RPTR'S ACFT WAS VERY SLOW OVER 'DIALS;' THEN IMMEDIATELY SLOWED TO APCH SPD. THE RPTR DOES NOT KNOW WHERE THE INTRUDING MD88 CAME FROM; BUT IT MAY HAVE BEEN ON A STRAIGHT-IN APCH. WHEN ON THE GND; THE RPTR NOTICED THAT OTHER ACFT SEEMED TO BE COMING STRAIGHT IN; MIXING WITH ACFT ON THE EXPRESSWAY APCH. THE CAPT HAS FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH HIS ACR AND ITS NEW YORK CHIEF PLT. HE HAS FOUND THAT THE CTLR THAT ALLOWED THE CONFLICT AFTER THE MISSED APCH HAS BEEN DECERTIFIED AND SENT BACK TO SCHOOL. NOTHING HAS BEEN FOUND OUT ABOUT THE CONFLICT ON APCH. THE RPTR SUSPECTS A COVER UP. THE RPTR'S ACR DOES NOT ENCOURAGE TURNING OFF RA'S WHEN IN CLOSE TO THE ARPT; BUT TCASII DOES NOT 'SPEAK' BELOW 1000 FT AGL; THIS IS HANDLED AUTOMATICALLY. THE RPTR POINTED OUT THAT THERE IS NO MISSED APCH PROC FOR THE EXPRESSWAY APCH; IT IS ALL RADAR VECTORS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 362543: ALTHOUGH FLYING THE APCH VISUALLY; WE HAD THE FMS EXPRESSWAY VISUAL DISPLAYED ON OUR MAP SCREENS. I WOULD STAY OUTSIDE WATCHING THE TFC SO WE WOULD NOT LOSE HIM IN THE LIGHTS. I FOLLOWED THE ACFT AS WE BEGAN OUR TURN OVER FLUSHING MEADOW. EVERYTHING LINED UP PERFECTLY. TCASII SHOWED A TA. THE FO SIGHTED THE TFC AT ABOUT 2 O'CLOCK LOW; TWR CALLED AND GAVE US A CLB AND VECTORS. AS WE TAXIED TO THE GATE IT APPEARED THAT AN ACFT WAS ON A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 31. ATIS AT THE TIME WAS CALLING THE WINDS 310 DEGS AT 11 KTS. I FEEL THAT A NIGHT VISUAL EXPRESSWAY RWY 31 APCH SHOULD NOT BE DEPENDENT ON PLT VISUAL CONTACT WITH PRECEDING TFC DUE TO EXTREMELY HVY COCKPIT WORKLOAD AT THIS POINT AND ATTENDANT DISTRACTING GND LIGHTING.