Potential conflict less than standard separation on final between widebody transport and light trans...

Attributes
ACN	207802
Time
Date	199204
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lax
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 1200 msl bound upper : 1200
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : lax
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	cruise other cruise other descent : approach
Route In Use	arrival other arrival star : star enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Light Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Route In Use	approach : straight in
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 90 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 2000
ASRS Report	207802
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : clearance non adherence : required legal separation other anomaly other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 3000 vertical : 200
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : unspecified
Airport	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

Cleared to follow light transport visually to runway 24R at lax. Lost sight of light transport Y during 180 degree right turn to final. Sighted aircraft about 1 to 2 mi out on final and all 3 pilots thought that aircraft was the other aircraft Y. It was not! It was the aircraft ahead of the light transport. We watched him land and we were about 6 mi out. We sighted the light transport when we were about 1/2 mi behind him. It was daylight, very nice day, why did we not see him sooner? Small aircraft, lost in sea of buildings, thought he had landed. We saw what we expected to see when we rolled out on final and saw the other aircraft about 1-2 mi out from touchdown. The tower cleared the light transport Y to land on 24L and he slid over to that runway and we continued on and landed on runway 24R. TCASII would have been a major help. After we lost sight of light transport in turn, we should have had tower verify his position. Tower should scan final for visual spacing also.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POTENTIAL CONFLICT LTSS ON FINAL BTWN WDB AND LTT.

Narrative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

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.

Potential conflict less than standard separation on final between widebody transport and light transport.