The pilot reported that it is often difficult to achieve a stabilized approach profile at dca as app...

Narrative:

Weather at dca was 1;100 feet broken with good visibility (10SM) and light winds. ATC was using instrument approaches to runway 19. Dca is slam dunking aircraft in marginal VFR weather and clearing them for instrument approaches as if it we visual conditions. Even if we had been able to use the rnp procedure we would have been outside the normal profile. Dca ATC is slam dunking flights from 5;000 feet; just outside of the 11 DME fix and clearing for the approach. We were cleared for this approach about 2 miles outside the final and almost 1;500 feet too high. We were set up for the lda Z and this is a dive and drive approach. We were high but correcting all the way down. I was very aggressive with descent control; flaps 3 and gear down at 10.5 DME and we only caught the profile at about 1;200 feet. I got to full flaps as soon as possible and was still just outside the 1;000 foot profile. Upon landing I got the flight closeout report that showed a speed of 163 a 1;000 feet and a flap change at 935 feet. Dca ATC treats marginal VFR /IFR as a visual procedure and this leads to unstable approaches. They are way too aggressive in scheduling landings and attempt to control all the parameters; ie. Speed; heading and altitude and then clear you for an approach when you are just outside the fix and up 1;500 feet to high. All in all dca is way too aggressive in cramming the metal in under instrument conditions.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: The pilot reported that it is often difficult to achieve a stabilized approach profile at DCA as approach control is 'slam dunking' arrivals; clearing them for the approach while high and fast and close to the FAF.

Narrative: Weather at DCA was 1;100 feet Broken with good visibility (10SM) and light winds. ATC was using instrument approaches to Runway 19. DCA is Slam Dunking Aircraft in marginal VFR weather and clearing them for instrument approaches as if it we visual conditions. Even if we had been able to use the RNP procedure we would have been outside the normal profile. DCA ATC is slam dunking flights from 5;000 feet; just outside of the 11 DME fix and clearing for the approach. We were cleared for this approach about 2 miles outside the final and almost 1;500 feet too high. We were set up for the LDA Z and this is a dive and drive approach. We were high but correcting all the way down. I was very aggressive with descent control; Flaps 3 and gear down at 10.5 DME and we only caught the profile at about 1;200 feet. I got to full flaps ASAP and was still just outside the 1;000 foot profile. Upon landing I got the flight closeout report that showed a speed of 163 a 1;000 feet and a flap change at 935 feet. DCA ATC treats marginal VFR /IFR as a visual procedure and this leads to unstable approaches. They are way too aggressive in scheduling landings and attempt to control all the parameters; ie. speed; heading and altitude and then clear you for an approach when you are just outside the fix and up 1;500 feet to high. ALL in all DCA is way too aggressive in cramming the metal in under instrument conditions.

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.

Attributes
ACN	1287084
Time
Date	201508
Local Time Of Day	0001-0600
Place
Locale Reference	DCA.Tower
State Reference	DC
Environment
Flight Conditions	Marginal
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Approach Final Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach

The pilot reported that it is often difficult to achieve a stabilized approach profile at dca as approach control is 'slam dunking' arrivals; clearing them for the approach while high and fast and close to the FAF.