Near midair collision operational error between an air carrier jet and an unknown aircraft.

Attributes
ACN	276978
Time
Date	199407
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : lax
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2600 msl bound upper : 2600
Environment
Flight Conditions	Marginal
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : lax tracon : spi
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	other : unknown
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 13000 flight time type : 1700
ASRS Report	276978
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	conflict : nmac non adherence : published procedure non adherence : required legal separation
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took evasive action
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 400
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error

Narrative:

On sadde arrival we were cleared from 7000 ft over smo to 2500 ft on a heading of 070 degrees. Descending through 6000 ft we were reclred to maintain 4000 ft. After that we were cleared again to 2500 ft and given a 160 degree heading. ATC asked if we had the airport and I (captain PNF) said no, that we could just barely see the racetrack. (We were vectoring for runway 24R lax). He then gave us a 230 degree heading but did not clear us for an approach. As we approached the localizer the frequency was very busy and we were not able to contact approach and tell them that we were going through the localizer. At 2600 ft we got a TCASII 'monitor vertical speed' which was followed immediately by an RA, 'climb, climb.' the first officer disengaged the autoplt and began an immediate climbing right turn. At 2800 ft we were able to contact approach again and informed him of our TCASII action. He cleared us to maintain 3000 ft and turn right to a heading of 270 degrees. Right after that he gave us a heading of 340 degrees and later turned us right downwind for another approach. The first officer and I both agree that we were never cleared for either a visual or instrument approach. The conditions were the usual late afternoon sun and haze with restr visibility. They were reporting visual conditions but looking into the sun and haze we were not able to get visual and we told them so. We were not advised of parallel traffic on the left side of the complex. This was probably because of the high workload the controller was under. I talked to his watch supervisor the next morning and he said that we were the last aircraft to be included in the visual (although we were not visual) and that even as were experiencing the event he was in the next room acquiring 2 more people to go over to the ILS confign. He thought the problem was that we got caught 'on the cusp' between VMC and IMC operations. In the future given a parallel operation I will take it upon myself to intercept without an intercept clearance rather than fly through and encounter traffic on the other side.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC OPERROR BTWN AN ACR JET AND AN UNKNOWN ACFT.

Narrative: ON SADDE ARR WE WERE CLRED FROM 7000 FT OVER SMO TO 2500 FT ON A HDG OF 070 DEGS. DSNDING THROUGH 6000 FT WE WERE RECLRED TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT. AFTER THAT WE WERE CLRED AGAIN TO 2500 FT AND GIVEN A 160 DEG HDG. ATC ASKED IF WE HAD THE ARPT AND I (CAPT PNF) SAID NO, THAT WE COULD JUST BARELY SEE THE RACETRACK. (WE WERE VECTORING FOR RWY 24R LAX). HE THEN GAVE US A 230 DEG HDG BUT DID NOT CLR US FOR AN APCH. AS WE APCHED THE LOC THE FREQ WAS VERY BUSY AND WE WERE NOT ABLE TO CONTACT APCH AND TELL THEM THAT WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE LOC. AT 2600 FT WE GOT A TCASII 'MONITOR VERT SPD' WHICH WAS FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY AN RA, 'CLB, CLB.' THE FO DISENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AND BEGAN AN IMMEDIATE CLBING R TURN. AT 2800 FT WE WERE ABLE TO CONTACT APCH AGAIN AND INFORMED HIM OF OUR TCASII ACTION. HE CLRED US TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT AND TURN R TO A HDG OF 270 DEGS. RIGHT AFTER THAT HE GAVE US A HDG OF 340 DEGS AND LATER TURNED US R DOWNWIND FOR ANOTHER APCH. THE FO AND I BOTH AGREE THAT WE WERE NEVER CLRED FOR EITHER A VISUAL OR INSTR APCH. THE CONDITIONS WERE THE USUAL LATE AFTERNOON SUN AND HAZE WITH RESTR VISIBILITY. THEY WERE RPTING VISUAL CONDITIONS BUT LOOKING INTO THE SUN AND HAZE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO GET VISUAL AND WE TOLD THEM SO. WE WERE NOT ADVISED OF PARALLEL TFC ON THE L SIDE OF THE COMPLEX. THIS WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE HIGH WORKLOAD THE CTLR WAS UNDER. I TALKED TO HIS WATCH SUPVR THE NEXT MORNING AND HE SAID THAT WE WERE THE LAST ACFT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE VISUAL (ALTHOUGH WE WERE NOT VISUAL) AND THAT EVEN AS WERE EXPERIENCING THE EVENT HE WAS IN THE NEXT ROOM ACQUIRING 2 MORE PEOPLE TO GO OVER TO THE ILS CONFIGN. HE THOUGHT THE PROB WAS THAT WE GOT CAUGHT 'ON THE CUSP' BTWN VMC AND IMC OPS. IN THE FUTURE GIVEN A PARALLEL OP I WILL TAKE IT UPON MYSELF TO INTERCEPT WITHOUT AN INTERCEPT CLRNC RATHER THAN FLY THROUGH AND ENCOUNTER TFC ON THE OTHER SIDE.

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.