Serious incident Boeing 747-346 JA8163, Friday 7 August 1987

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Date:	Friday 7 August 1987
Time:	11:27 LT
Type:	Boeing 747-346
Owner/operator:	Japan Airlines (JAL)
Registration:	JA8163
MSN:	23149/599
Year of manufacture:	1984
Engine model:	P&W JT9D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 363
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	None
Category:	Serious incident
Location:	Los Angeles, CA - United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Tokyo (RJAA)
Destination airport:	Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
DRG ARR, JAPAN AIRLINE FLT 62 (BOEING 747, JA-8163) WAS INITIALLY VECTORED (BY LAX ARTCC) FOR AN ILS RWY 24R APCH IN REDUCED VISIBILITY (HAZE). BFR TURNING FINAL, FLT 62 WAS ADZD OF AN ACFT THAT WAS 4 MI AHEAD. FLT 62 RPRTD THAT THEY HAD THE ACFT IN SIGHT. THE CTLR TOLD THEM TO TURN TO 230 DEG FOR FINAL APCH & TO FOLLOW THE ACFT AHEAD, THEN CLRD THE FLT FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 24R. AFTER CHGG TO TWR FREQ, THE TWR CTLR (LC-2) TOLD THE FLT TO CHG TO RWY 24L & THEN CLRDTHEM TO LAND. THE FLT ACKNOWLEDGED. LC-2 NOTED THE ACFT WAS TRACKING RGT OF COURSE & ASKED THE FLT TO VERIFY THE RWY WASIN SIGHT. THE CREW REPLIED THE RWY WAS NOT IN SIGHT & CONTD DSCNDG ON AN INBND HDG. LC-2 TOLD THE FLT THEY WOULD HAVE TOTURN SOUTHBOUND, THEN TOLD THEM TO 'TURN LEFT 10 DEG.' SUBSEQUENTLY, WHEN THE ACFT WAS ABT 3/4 MI EAST & 1 MI NORTH OF THE THRESHOLD AT 700 TO 800 FT, THE CREW MADE AN ABRUPT LEFT TURN TO ALIGN THE ACFT WITH THE RWY BY TURNING FM A HDG OF 240 DEG TO 175 DEG & THEN TURNING BACK TO THE RGT. THE ACFT ROLLED OUT OF THE TURN, JUST BFR TOUCHING DOWN ON THE RWY.

Probable Cause:

Accident investigation: