B737-300 flight crew triggered an ATC low altitude alert when they descended steeply on a localizer ...

Attributes
ACN	1224125
Time
Date	201412
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B737-300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 102 Flight Crew Type 16000
Person 2
Function	First Officer Pilot Not Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 141 Flight Crew Type 258
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence

Narrative:

At the final approach point on the localizer to runway 06; I was configured and began descent. I believe the ceiling was 500 feet at the time of the approach with our localizer minimums at 490 feet or so; so we knew it was going to be very close to minimums. I had set a higher descent rate than we probably needed and we received a low altitude warning call from the tower just prior to reaching the missed approach altitude. We acknowledged the call from tower and they asked us if we had the field in sight. We told them that we were at 500 feet and had the airport in sight. We did cross the MDA at 500 feet with the field in sight. We landed with no difficulties. I think the proper descent rate would have avoided the entire situation. Tower would not have been concerned with our altitude and we would have reached the missed approach altitude at about the same time that we got the field in sight for landing.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-300 flight crew triggered an ATC low altitude alert when they descended steeply on a localizer approach. First Officer cited unfamiliarity with non-precision approaches in older technology aircraft as a contributing factor.

Narrative: At the final approach point on the Localizer to Runway 06; I was configured and began descent. I believe the ceiling was 500 feet at the time of the approach with our LOC minimums at 490 feet or so; so we knew it was going to be very close to minimums. I had set a higher descent rate than we probably needed and we received a low altitude warning call from the Tower just prior to reaching the missed approach altitude. We acknowledged the call from Tower and they asked us if we had the field in sight. We told them that we were at 500 feet and had the airport in sight. We did cross the MDA at 500 feet with the field in sight. We landed with no difficulties. I think the proper descent rate would have avoided the entire situation. Tower would not have been concerned with our altitude and we would have reached the missed approach altitude at about the same time that we got the field in sight for landing.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.

B737-300 flight crew triggered an ATC low altitude alert when they descended steeply on a localizer approach. First officer cited unfamiliarity with non-precision approaches in older technology aircraft as a contributing factor.