Narrative:

Aircraft X was on a repositioning flight from sna to lax preparing for an ILS/visual approach to runway 25R at lax. According to controllers the flight was told to expect runway 25L on the initial call to socal approach. The initial communication from socal also included a heading after seal beach VOR. There was confusion about when to fly the heading before or after so the heading and VOR information was repeated. At this time the captain was flying and talking on the radios because the first officer was listening to the ATIS. Aircraft X was asked to switch to a second socal controller who asked if we had the field and a citation to follow in sight. We answered that we had neither and the controller responded 'turn left 270 degrees and intercept the localizer.' after the turn we reported the runway and the citation in sight and were cleared for a visual approach behind a citation landing on runway 25L. We never heard runway 25L and still were planning for a visual approach runway 25R. We did hear 'cleared for the visual behind the citation.' when the controller gave us the runway it was followed with a distraction of finding an aircraft, either the citation and following him or a B747 on the ILS for 24's. We repeated the command of following the citation but not for any runway and switched to lax tower. The tower controller was working both runways 25R and 25L (these runways are 1000 ft apart). The first communication we heard on tower frequency was the controller berating the pilot who just landed for missing a taxiway 'why didn't you make the taxiway that is so easy now you have a longer taxi.' this set the tone that you are to do what you are told and ask no questions. We check in with tower and are cleared to land (I do not remember what runway was assigned but nothing changed our thought process that we are to land runway 25R), according to the tower tapes we read back 'cleared to land.' on 4-5 mi final an air carrier jet is cleared into position runway 25R and on 3-4 mi final is cleared for takeoff. On approximately 2 mi final tower clears another aircraft into position runway 25R. This is the first indication that the controller expects us to be on runway 25L. We call the tower and say 'confirm aircraft X is cleared to land runway 25R' (we are now 1 mi final and prepared to transition to runway 25L if necessary), the tower answers 'yes, air carrier Y is rolling, you are cleared to land.' no aircraft taxi into position (I assume now that they saw us on short final and stopped), air carrier Y was airborne, the runway was clear, so we landed. In the flare, tower called out 'aircraft X,' I added power to go around the first officer said 'what do you want us to do?' there was no answer, the runway was clear, I pulled the throttles to idle and landed uneventfully. After a review of the approach tapes ATC says that we were assigned runway 25L but never read the runway back. At other times we were given instructions not including a runway ('turn left 270 degrees to intercept the localizer'). On final the tower tapes reflect us confirming the runway 25R and being 'cleared to land' (no runway mentioned). Factors that affected the situation: 1) 1 controller working 2 runways so close together. 2) not reading back runways on every communication. 3) busy airport so controllers and pilots are keeping communications short to keep traffic flowing. 4) distrs, such as looking for other aircraft, each time a runway is mentioned. 5) nighttime and the hawker is a small aircraft at an airport that sees more heavy aircraft than business jets. We attempted to break the error chain on final to runway 25R. All our assumptions to land on runway 25R were confirmed when we heard 'cleared to land.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: H25B FLT CREW LANDS ON WRONG RWY AT LAX DURING A NIGHT OP VISUAL APCH PROC.

Narrative: ACFT X WAS ON A REPOSITIONING FLT FROM SNA TO LAX PREPARING FOR AN ILS/VISUAL APCH TO RWY 25R AT LAX. ACCORDING TO CTLRS THE FLT WAS TOLD TO EXPECT RWY 25L ON THE INITIAL CALL TO SOCAL APCH. THE INITIAL COM FROM SOCAL ALSO INCLUDED A HDG AFTER SEAL BEACH VOR. THERE WAS CONFUSION ABOUT WHEN TO FLY THE HDG BEFORE OR AFTER SO THE HDG AND VOR INFO WAS REPEATED. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT WAS FLYING AND TALKING ON THE RADIOS BECAUSE THE FO WAS LISTENING TO THE ATIS. ACFT X WAS ASKED TO SWITCH TO A SECOND SOCAL CTLR WHO ASKED IF WE HAD THE FIELD AND A CITATION TO FOLLOW IN SIGHT. WE ANSWERED THAT WE HAD NEITHER AND THE CTLR RESPONDED 'TURN L 270 DEGS AND INTERCEPT THE LOC.' AFTER THE TURN WE RPTED THE RWY AND THE CITATION IN SIGHT AND WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH BEHIND A CITATION LNDG ON RWY 25L. WE NEVER HEARD RWY 25L AND STILL WERE PLANNING FOR A VISUAL APCH RWY 25R. WE DID HEAR 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL BEHIND THE CITATION.' WHEN THE CTLR GAVE US THE RWY IT WAS FOLLOWED WITH A DISTR OF FINDING AN ACFT, EITHER THE CITATION AND FOLLOWING HIM OR A B747 ON THE ILS FOR 24'S. WE REPEATED THE COMMAND OF FOLLOWING THE CITATION BUT NOT FOR ANY RWY AND SWITCHED TO LAX TWR. THE TWR CTLR WAS WORKING BOTH RWYS 25R AND 25L (THESE RWYS ARE 1000 FT APART). THE FIRST COM WE HEARD ON TWR FREQ WAS THE CTLR BERATING THE PLT WHO JUST LANDED FOR MISSING A TXWY 'WHY DIDN'T YOU MAKE THE TXWY THAT IS SO EASY NOW YOU HAVE A LONGER TAXI.' THIS SET THE TONE THAT YOU ARE TO DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD AND ASK NO QUESTIONS. WE CHK IN WITH TWR AND ARE CLRED TO LAND (I DO NOT REMEMBER WHAT RWY WAS ASSIGNED BUT NOTHING CHANGED OUR THOUGHT PROCESS THAT WE ARE TO LAND RWY 25R), ACCORDING TO THE TWR TAPES WE READ BACK 'CLRED TO LAND.' ON 4-5 MI FINAL AN ACR JET IS CLRED INTO POS RWY 25R AND ON 3-4 MI FINAL IS CLRED FOR TKOF. ON APPROX 2 MI FINAL TWR CLRS ANOTHER ACFT INTO POS RWY 25R. THIS IS THE FIRST INDICATION THAT THE CTLR EXPECTS US TO BE ON RWY 25L. WE CALL THE TWR AND SAY 'CONFIRM ACFT X IS CLRED TO LAND RWY 25R' (WE ARE NOW 1 MI FINAL AND PREPARED TO TRANSITION TO RWY 25L IF NECESSARY), THE TWR ANSWERS 'YES, ACR Y IS ROLLING, YOU ARE CLRED TO LAND.' NO ACFT TAXI INTO POS (I ASSUME NOW THAT THEY SAW US ON SHORT FINAL AND STOPPED), ACR Y WAS AIRBORNE, THE RWY WAS CLR, SO WE LANDED. IN THE FLARE, TWR CALLED OUT 'ACFT X,' I ADDED PWR TO GO AROUND THE FO SAID 'WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO?' THERE WAS NO ANSWER, THE RWY WAS CLR, I PULLED THE THROTTLES TO IDLE AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. AFTER A REVIEW OF THE APCH TAPES ATC SAYS THAT WE WERE ASSIGNED RWY 25L BUT NEVER READ THE RWY BACK. AT OTHER TIMES WE WERE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDING A RWY ('TURN L 270 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC'). ON FINAL THE TWR TAPES REFLECT US CONFIRMING THE RWY 25R AND BEING 'CLRED TO LAND' (NO RWY MENTIONED). FACTORS THAT AFFECTED THE SIT: 1) 1 CTLR WORKING 2 RWYS SO CLOSE TOGETHER. 2) NOT READING BACK RWYS ON EVERY COM. 3) BUSY ARPT SO CTLRS AND PLTS ARE KEEPING COMS SHORT TO KEEP TFC FLOWING. 4) DISTRS, SUCH AS LOOKING FOR OTHER ACFT, EACH TIME A RWY IS MENTIONED. 5) NIGHTTIME AND THE HAWKER IS A SMALL ACFT AT AN ARPT THAT SEES MORE HVY ACFT THAN BUSINESS JETS. WE ATTEMPTED TO BREAK THE ERROR CHAIN ON FINAL TO RWY 25R. ALL OUR ASSUMPTIONS TO LAND ON RWY 25R WERE CONFIRMED WHEN WE HEARD 'CLRED TO LAND.'

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.