AIR CARRIER PLT REPORTS THREE RWY CHANGES IN QUICK SUCCESSION ON ARR TO LAX; LEADING TO A TRACK DEV.

Narrative

ON APCH TO LAX FLYING THE SEAVU ONE ARR; WHICH IS A RWY SPECIFIC ARR; WE WERE GIVEN WHAT AMOUNTED TO THREE RWY CHANGES. WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS KONZL AT 17000 FT AND 280 KTS WITH NO RWY ASSIGNMENT. WHEN ASKED WE WERE TOLD THE NEXT CTLR WOULD GIVE US THE RWY. AT 24000 FT; THE WIND WAS A DIRECT CROSS FROM THE NORTH AT APPROX 140 KTS. AND AT 12000 FT; IT WAS APPROX 90 KTS WITH OCCASIONAL MODERATE TURB. WE FIRST PUT IN THE APCH FOR RWY 25R FOR OUR NORMAL APCH. INSIDE TURTLE WE WERE GIVEN RWY 24R AND THE FO SET UP THE FMS FOR THE CHANGE TO RWY 24R. IN THE 5 TO 10 SECONDS IT TOOK TO SET IT UP WE WERE ON TOP OF CATAW. WITH NO GUIDANCE WHILE THE FMS WAS TRYING TO CATCH UP; THE FO BEGAN A TURN IN HDG SELECT KNOWING THE INTXN WAS CLOSE. WHEN THE RTE DID POP BACK UP WE HAD DRIFTED OFF THE ARR DUE TO THE STRONG CROSSWIND AND NO GUIDANCE. THE FO WAS CORRECTING BACK WHEN WE WERE GIVEN RWY 25R WHICH ONCE AGAIN BLANKED OUT THE GUIDANCE. AS WE WERE PROGRAMMING THE NEW RWY ATC CLRED US TO KRAIN INTXN AND AFTER A SHORT SILENCE WAS NICE ENOUGH TO GIVE US THE SPELLING FOR KRAIN. WE DID NOT HAVE IT ON THE SCREEN AS THE FMS WAS AGAIN TRYING TO CATCH UP. AT THE SAME TIME I WAS TRYING TO FIND IT ON THE APCH PLATE. WE TOLD ATC WE NOW HAD THE INTXN AND HE CLRED US TO KRAIN; FOLLOW THE GLIDESLOPE TO RWY 25R AND SLOW TO 180 KTS. WE DID AND CONTINUED TO A NORMAL LNDG. THIS IS A COMPLEX APCH WITH MANY INTXNS AND ALT CROSSING RESTRICTIONS THAT CHANGE WITH THE RWY ASSIGNMENT. THE CHANGES OCCUR OFTEN AND WE PREPARE OURSELVES KNOWING THIS MIGHT HAPPEN. WE IN FACT DISCUSSED THIS VERY THING BEFORE WE STARTED THIS DESCENT IN TO LAX TODAY. THE PROB TODAY WAS GETTING THE ASSIGNMENT AND CHANGES FAR TOO LATE ALONG WITH THE UNUSUALLY STRONG WINDS AND TURB.