Narrative:

I am writing to you not to gain immunity from a specific incident but to report a hazard which I feel is becoming quite severe. To appreciate the severity of the problem you need to fly into lax from the north on a VFR day or ride any air carrier's jumpseat under the same circumstances. In spite of all of pilot org concern about the visibility approachs into sfo,they don't bother me nearly as much as the 'visuals' we are flying into lax. Runway 24/25 profile descent from over smo followed by the visibility approach to runway 24 or 25. Pilots are flying this pattern and getting 'suckered' into accepting visibility approachs when we are not legal to do so. Coming in over the ocean prior to smo, approach control asks you if you have the field in sight and from here at 7000' you do. Then you get east of lax on downwind or the base leg, and the field disappears in lax's smog which, usually builds up the further east of the field than you go. Lax approach has already cleared you for the approach but you've lost the field so I at least tell them I've lost the field and they invariably tell me to follow the aircraft ahead. The problem is the guy ahead has lost the field also but won't admit it. It's quite obvious following these guys when they finally pick up the field again and jump over to line up on their runway. So here we are with at least 4 aircraft shooting parallel approachs into one of the world's busiest airports under marginally VFR conditions and 2 of the planes are shooting visibility approachs to non ILS runways and trying to follow the plane ahead when he doesn't have his runway either. It's gotten much worse recently with the increased frequency of flts into lax from the north. I don't fault the controllers as they're just trying to make the system work also. They don't have the spacing to give us all ILS's with a sidestep to your runway but something needs to be done! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Callback was made to ascertain the status of forum gunter strobe light which is lined up just south of the runways 24 final approach course and north of the race track. This strobe light is a reference for aircraft lining up with runways 24 in an area where restriction to visibility frequently occurs. One pilot contacted stated that the light had not been operating, or was not aware of it's location. A call to lax tower revealed that the light had indeed been out of service, but was back operating normally. Although this may not have had any bearing on the rptrs incidents concerning not being able to see the airport, it is a reference point that could be utilized when making visibility approachs.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR REPORTER COMPLAINS ABOUT MAKING VISUAL APCHS DURING MARGINAL VISIBILITY CONDITIONS EAST OF LAX.

Narrative: I AM WRITING TO YOU NOT TO GAIN IMMUNITY FROM A SPECIFIC INCIDENT BUT TO RPT A HAZARD WHICH I FEEL IS BECOMING QUITE SEVERE. TO APPRECIATE THE SEVERITY OF THE PROB YOU NEED TO FLY INTO LAX FROM THE N ON A VFR DAY OR RIDE ANY AIR CARRIER'S JUMPSEAT UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES. IN SPITE OF ALL OF PLT ORG CONCERN ABOUT THE VIS APCHS INTO SFO,THEY DON'T BOTHER ME NEARLY AS MUCH AS THE 'VISUALS' WE ARE FLYING INTO LAX. RWY 24/25 PROFILE DSNT FROM OVER SMO FOLLOWED BY THE VIS APCH TO RWY 24 OR 25. PLTS ARE FLYING THIS PATTERN AND GETTING 'SUCKERED' INTO ACCEPTING VIS APCHS WHEN WE ARE NOT LEGAL TO DO SO. COMING IN OVER THE OCEAN PRIOR TO SMO, APCH CTL ASKS YOU IF YOU HAVE THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND FROM HERE AT 7000' YOU DO. THEN YOU GET E OF LAX ON DOWNWIND OR THE BASE LEG, AND THE FIELD DISAPPEARS IN LAX'S SMOG WHICH, USUALLY BUILDS UP THE FURTHER E OF THE FIELD THAN YOU GO. LAX APCH HAS ALREADY CLRED YOU FOR THE APCH BUT YOU'VE LOST THE FIELD SO I AT LEAST TELL THEM I'VE LOST THE FIELD AND THEY INVARIABLY TELL ME TO FOLLOW THE ACFT AHEAD. THE PROB IS THE GUY AHEAD HAS LOST THE FIELD ALSO BUT WON'T ADMIT IT. IT'S QUITE OBVIOUS FOLLOWING THESE GUYS WHEN THEY FINALLY PICK UP THE FIELD AGAIN AND JUMP OVER TO LINE UP ON THEIR RWY. SO HERE WE ARE WITH AT LEAST 4 ACFT SHOOTING PARALLEL APCHS INTO ONE OF THE WORLD'S BUSIEST ARPTS UNDER MARGINALLY VFR CONDITIONS AND 2 OF THE PLANES ARE SHOOTING VIS APCHS TO NON ILS RWYS AND TRYING TO FOLLOW THE PLANE AHEAD WHEN HE DOESN'T HAVE HIS RWY EITHER. IT'S GOTTEN MUCH WORSE RECENTLY WITH THE INCREASED FREQ OF FLTS INTO LAX FROM THE N. I DON'T FAULT THE CTLRS AS THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE THE SYS WORK ALSO. THEY DON'T HAVE THE SPACING TO GIVE US ALL ILS'S WITH A SIDESTEP TO YOUR RWY BUT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. CALLBACK WAS MADE TO ASCERTAIN THE STATUS OF FORUM GUNTER STROBE LIGHT WHICH IS LINED UP JUST S OF THE RWYS 24 FINAL APCH COURSE AND N OF THE RACE TRACK. THIS STROBE LIGHT IS A REFERENCE FOR ACFT LINING UP WITH RWYS 24 IN AN AREA WHERE RESTRICTION TO VIS FREQUENTLY OCCURS. ONE PLT CONTACTED STATED THAT THE LIGHT HAD NOT BEEN OPERATING, OR WAS NOT AWARE OF IT'S LOCATION. A CALL TO LAX TWR REVEALED THAT THE LIGHT HAD INDEED BEEN OUT OF SVC, BUT WAS BACK OPERATING NORMALLY. ALTHOUGH THIS MAY NOT HAVE HAD ANY BEARING ON THE RPTRS INCIDENTS CONCERNING NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE ARPT, IT IS A REFERENCE POINT THAT COULD BE UTILIZED WHEN MAKING VIS APCHS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.