MD80 FLT CREW HAS TRACK HDG DEV DURING APCH TO RWY 24R LAX.

Narrative

ON THE LAST PORTION OF THE SADDE ARR; WE WERE EBOUND (070 DEGS) FROM SMO DSNDING FROM 7000 FT TO 2500 FT. LAX WX WAS RPTED AS FEW CLOUDS AT 2700 FT AND 6 MI VISIBILITY WITH HAZE. TWR RPTED TFC AT 2 O'CLOCK POS. WE CALLED TFC IN SIGHT AND WERE CLRED TO FOLLOW THE TFC FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 24R. I TURNED BASE LEG WHEN THE TFC WAS ALMOST ABEAM OF US; I GUESS APPROX AN 8 MI BASE LEG. WE BOTH HAD THE ILS RWY 24R SET UP. I INITIALLY HAD BOTH THE TFC AND THE RWY IN SIGHT. I CONTINUED THE DSCNT WHILE WE WERE CONFIGURING FOR LNDG. BTWN XCHKING INSIDE AND LOOKING OUTSIDE; I LOST SIGHT OF THE RWY BUT STILL HAD WHAT I THOUGHT WAS OUR TFC. TWR CALLED AND SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF 'DID WE HAVE THE RWY IN SIGHT?' SUDDENLY I SAW I WAS HEADING TOWARD RWY 25R AND IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED BACK TO RWY 24R. I HAD OVERSHOT BOTH RWY 24R AND RWY 24L AND WAS APCHING THE S COMPLEX. I THINK I CORRECTED BACK TO ABOUT A 5 MI FINAL TO RWY 24R AND THE REMAINDER OF THE APCH AND LNDG WERE NORMAL. I REALIZE NOW THAT AS WE DSNDED ON THE BASE LEG THE SLANT RANGE VISIBILITY DECREASED DUE TO THE HAZE. I SHOULD HAVE XCHKED THE INSTS MORE BUT WAS COMFORTABLE AT THE TIME BECAUSE I CONTINUED TO SEE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE TFC I WAS FOLLOWING. SOMEHOW; BTWN LOOKING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE; I MUST HAVE XFERRED 'LOCK' ONTO A DIFFERENT ACFT; ONE LNDG ON THE S COMPLEX.