Narrative:

On right downwind to runway 24R lax at approximately 4000' MSL, WX scattered clouds with 5 mi in haze. Approach control asked if we had runway and we acknowledged we did and they cleared us visual to 24R. Asked first officer to keep runway in sight, as it was on his side. Approach asked us to make short approach and we turned inside marker. During turn to final, approach told us to go to tower and at this time we saw an aircraft ahead and runways, we knew that the aircraft was too close to make a landing behind him and I told first officer to contact tower and see what we should do. As soon as first officer changed frequency tower said we were lined up on 25R and to change to 24R. We just then saw 24R and lined up to 24R without further problems. We had ILS tuned to 24R and outer marker tuned to 24R. The problem came with first officer unable to keep runway in sight because of haze and scattered clouds and not informing me he had lost runway. Also contributing was a great deal of traffic and radio chatter and my being diverted from intercepting ILS with traffic I saw, and then seeing runways. In the future I will not accept visuals at high density airports until established on final or I can personally keep runway in sight. Potential problem could have been near miss or midair on parallel approach particularly since we were changing radios during critical intercept of final approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG WRONG RWY APCH. CLEARED VISUAL TO 24R AT LAX BUT LINED UP ON 25R.

Narrative: ON RIGHT DOWNWIND TO RWY 24R LAX AT APPROX 4000' MSL, WX SCATTERED CLOUDS WITH 5 MI IN HAZE. APCH CTL ASKED IF WE HAD RWY AND WE ACKNOWLEDGED WE DID AND THEY CLRED US VISUAL TO 24R. ASKED F/O TO KEEP RWY IN SIGHT, AS IT WAS ON HIS SIDE. APCH ASKED US TO MAKE SHORT APCH AND WE TURNED INSIDE MARKER. DURING TURN TO FINAL, APCH TOLD US TO GO TO TWR AND AT THIS TIME WE SAW AN ACFT AHEAD AND RWYS, WE KNEW THAT THE ACFT WAS TOO CLOSE TO MAKE A LNDG BEHIND HIM AND I TOLD F/O TO CONTACT TWR AND SEE WHAT WE SHOULD DO. AS SOON AS F/O CHANGED FREQ TWR SAID WE WERE LINED UP ON 25R AND TO CHANGE TO 24R. WE JUST THEN SAW 24R AND LINED UP TO 24R WITHOUT FURTHER PROBLEMS. WE HAD ILS TUNED TO 24R AND OUTER MARKER TUNED TO 24R. THE PROBLEM CAME WITH F/O UNABLE TO KEEP RWY IN SIGHT BECAUSE OF HAZE AND SCATTERED CLOUDS AND NOT INFORMING ME HE HAD LOST RWY. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WAS A GREAT DEAL OF TFC AND RADIO CHATTER AND MY BEING DIVERTED FROM INTERCEPTING ILS WITH TFC I SAW, AND THEN SEEING RWYS. IN THE FUTURE I WILL NOT ACCEPT VISUALS AT HIGH DENSITY ARPTS UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON FINAL OR I CAN PERSONALLY KEEP RWY IN SIGHT. POTENTIAL PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN NEAR MISS OR MIDAIR ON PARALLEL APCH PARTICULARLY SINCE WE WERE CHANGING RADIOS DURING CRITICAL INTERCEPT OF FINAL APCH.

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.