Narrative:

I was conducting initial operating experience on new first officer; we had briefed the visual approach to runway 6 into bhm paying special attention to the antennas and where a safe turn could be made for the right base leg. We also discussed safe altitudes and when to start down from 3;000 ft to 2;500 ft. We had made the right base turn and I had selected the altitude selector down to 2;500 ft and was cleaning up the approach [checklist] when I looked up [and noted] we had turned further east than I had anticipated and the first officer had started a descent. While getting myself oriented with the runway I clicked the autopilot off and started a left turn back to more of a base leg while adding power and starting a climb when tower advised he had received a low altitude alert and; at the same time; the GPWS issued a warning. The warning only lasted a few seconds since we were correcting the error. After I got the aircraft back on profile and verified the first officer was back in the game and looking at the runway I transferred the controls back to the first officer and he continued the visual approach on profile to a decent landing. The threat was me being heads down and doing a poor job of monitoring; this allowed us to enter into an undesired state (low altitude alert and GPWS warning).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Check Airman conducting initial operating experience with a new First Officer on a CRJ-700 was distracted by other duties as the First Officer; who was flying a visual approach to BHM; got distracted; overturned to final and triggered a low altitude alert from the Tower and a momentary EGPWS warning. An appropriate profile to an uneventful landing was quickly re-established and no go around resulted.

Narrative: I was conducting initial operating experience on new First Officer; we had briefed the visual approach to Runway 6 into BHM paying special attention to the antennas and where a safe turn could be made for the right base leg. We also discussed safe altitudes and when to start down from 3;000 FT to 2;500 FT. We had made the right base turn and I had selected the altitude selector down to 2;500 FT and was cleaning up the approach [checklist] when I looked up [and noted] we had turned further East than I had anticipated and the First Officer had started a descent. While getting myself oriented with the runway I clicked the autopilot off and started a left turn back to more of a base leg while adding power and starting a climb when Tower advised he had received a low altitude alert and; at the same time; the GPWS issued a warning. The warning only lasted a few seconds since we were correcting the error. After I got the aircraft back on profile and verified the First Officer was back in the game and looking at the runway I transferred the controls back to the First Officer and he continued the visual approach on profile to a decent landing. The threat was me being heads down and doing a poor job of monitoring; this allowed us to enter into an undesired state (low altitude alert and GPWS warning).

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.