MD80 CREW EXECUTED A MISSED APCH WHEN THE TFC THE ACFT WAS TO FOLLOW WAS TOO CLOSE.

Narrative

WHILE EXECUTING THE EXPRESSWAY VISUAL RWY 31 APCH AND TURNING BASE LEG; TFC WAS CALLED BY LGA TWR AS 12 O'CLOCK; 1 MI S OF SHEA STADIUM. THIS TFC DESCRIBED BY THE TWR APPEARED TO BE THE TFC WE WERE FOLLOWING ON THE APCH. HOWEVER; THE TFC THAT THE TWR INTENDED US TO FOLLOW WAS ACTUALLY NO WHERE NEAR THE STADIUM AND AT OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS ON A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 31; OUT OF SEQUENCE. WHEN IT BECAME CLR THAT THIS WAS OUR TFC TO FOLLOW; IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT WE WOULD BE UNABLE TO SAFELY FOLLOW THE TFC WITHOUT EXCESSIVE MANEUVERING; A GAR WAS INITIATED. SUGGESTIONS: 1) DO NOT PERMIT STRAIGHT-IN OR R TURN-IN APCHS TO RWY 31 WHEN THE EXPRESSWAY VISUAL APCH IS IN USE; ESPECIALLY DURING BUSY ARR PERIODS. 2) LIMIT VISUAL APCHS TO FOLLOW TFC AT HIGH DENSITY ARPTS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 414847: WE WERE ON THE EXPRESSWAY VISUAL RWY 31 AT LGA. TWR HAD CALLED TFC FOR US JUST S OF THE STADIUM WHILE WE WERE ON DOWNWIND. AFTER ABOUT 30-45 SECONDS; WE SPOTTED TFC JUST W OF THE STADIUM AND CALLED TFC IN SIGHT. WE BEGAN OUR BASE LEG TO SPACE BEHIND THE OBSERVED TFC. SHORTLY AFTER TURNING BASE WE SAW A COMMUTER ACFT ON WHAT APPEARED TO BE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH. WE WENT AROUND BECAUSE WE WERE TOO CLOSE TO TFC TO SPACE OURSELVES BEHIND HIM. IT APPEARED THAT THIS COMMUTER TFC HAD NOT BEEN POINTED OUT TO US BY LGA TWR.