Narrative:

Our flight was cleared for a visibility approach to 16R at sea. We were instructed to cross a geographic fix at/or above 2000' MSL and follow a heavy transport on approach ahead of us which we had in sight. At the time our clearance was issued we were parallel to and approximately 3-4 mi west of the heavy transport who was lined up with the runway centerline. Prior to reaching our geographic clearance limit we initiated a left turn to square our base leg and fall in behind the heavy transport. Approach control told us to turn back to the right and proceed directly to our initially assigned fix. We were advised that traffic was inbound from the east for the parallel runway (16L) and that we did not have a required 5 mi sep between our aircraft and the heavy transport. We continued to our clearance limit, made our visibility approach and landed. The first officer and I both feel that our actions to turn in behind the heavy transport were within the limits of our ATC visibility approach clearance. Because of the verbal reactions and misunderstanding between the flight crew and ATC, I felt that a report was in order.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE CONDUCTING A VISUAL APCH AND TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH VISUAL SPACING ON PRECEDING REPORTER ACFT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE LOST LEGAL SEPARATION WITH THE PRECEDING TRAFFIC.

Narrative: OUR FLT WAS CLRED FOR A VIS APCH TO 16R AT SEA. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CROSS A GEOGRAPHIC FIX AT/OR ABOVE 2000' MSL AND FOLLOW A HVT ON APCH AHEAD OF US WHICH WE HAD IN SIGHT. AT THE TIME OUR CLRNC WAS ISSUED WE WERE PARALLEL TO AND APPROX 3-4 MI W OF THE HVT WHO WAS LINED UP WITH THE RWY CENTERLINE. PRIOR TO REACHING OUR GEOGRAPHIC CLRNC LIMIT WE INITIATED A LEFT TURN TO SQUARE OUR BASE LEG AND FALL IN BEHIND THE HVT. APCH CTL TOLD US TO TURN BACK TO THE RIGHT AND PROCEED DIRECTLY TO OUR INITIALLY ASSIGNED FIX. WE WERE ADVISED THAT TFC WAS INBND FROM THE E FOR THE PARALLEL RWY (16L) AND THAT WE DID NOT HAVE A REQUIRED 5 MI SEP BTWN OUR ACFT AND THE HVT. WE CONTINUED TO OUR CLRNC LIMIT, MADE OUR VIS APCH AND LANDED. THE F/O AND I BOTH FEEL THAT OUR ACTIONS TO TURN IN BEHIND THE HVT WERE WITHIN THE LIMITS OF OUR ATC VIS APCH CLRNC. BECAUSE OF THE VERBAL REACTIONS AND MISUNDERSTANDING BTWN THE FLT CREW AND ATC, I FELT THAT A RPT WAS IN ORDER.

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.