Medium large transport overtakes aircraft on a visual approach ahead of them.

Attributes
ACN	103604
Time
Date	198902
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lax
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2200 msl bound upper : 2200
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : lax tower : lax
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 190 flight time total : 8670 flight time type : 580
ASRS Report	103604
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

Approaching lax from the east we were were cleared for an ILS approach to runway 24R. Approach control advised us we had traffic ahead of us that we were to follow to the airport. We reported the traffic in sight although the aircraft we saw was ahead of the aircraft we were following. We were handed off to the tower about 8 mi from the airport, and while switching over to the tower we saw the traffic we were following for the first time about 2 mi in front of us descending on the ILS and we were quite a bit faster. Switching to the tower they told us to slow to our minimum approach speed, but by then we were to close to the traffic to land behind him, so the tower cleared us to land on runway 25L.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG OVERTAKES ACFT ON A VISUAL APCH AHEAD OF THEM.

Narrative: APCHING LAX FROM THE E WE WERE WERE CLRED FOR AN ILS APCH TO RWY 24R. APCH CTL ADVISED US WE HAD TFC AHEAD OF US THAT WE WERE TO FOLLOW TO THE ARPT. WE RPTED THE TFC IN SIGHT ALTHOUGH THE ACFT WE SAW WAS AHEAD OF THE ACFT WE WERE FOLLOWING. WE WERE HANDED OFF TO THE TWR ABOUT 8 MI FROM THE ARPT, AND WHILE SWITCHING OVER TO THE TWR WE SAW THE TFC WE WERE FOLLOWING FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT 2 MI IN FRONT OF US DSNDING ON THE ILS AND WE WERE QUITE A BIT FASTER. SWITCHING TO THE TWR THEY TOLD US TO SLOW TO OUR MINIMUM APCH SPD, BUT BY THEN WE WERE TO CLOSE TO THE TFC TO LAND BEHIND HIM, SO THE TWR CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 25L.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.