Narrative:

The ATIS was advertising basic VFR conditions with unlimited visibility and visual approachs in progress for runway 22. My first officer loaded the ILS runway 22 approach into the FMGC along with the relevant data on the approach performance page of the mcdu. We briefed the approach at about 25000 ft in the descent. The descent and approach checks were accomplished at their appropriate times and we were then handed off to the final approach controller. We were slowing at 10000 ft and were about 30 flying mi from the airport. This controller advised us to plan now on executing the river visual approach to runway 13. We quickly retrieved the relevant commercial plate from the airway manual, reloaded the ILS runway 13 approach into the FMGC, reset the field elevation in the MDA field of the approach performance page, and hurriedly briefed the approach. The plate looked straightforward enough with an excursion up the hudson river to a point where our track along the river intercepted the final approach course to runway 13 with a right turn onto final. The altitude instructions were to maintain 2000 ft until necessary to descend for the final turn onto the approach. We repeated the approach check and began our leisurely journey up the river. We were cleared to descend and for the approach. As we approached the southeast tip of manhattan island, I had the airplane configured to flaps 2 with a selected airspeed of 170 KTS and we were descending through 5000 ft. The approach controller then instructed us to maintain 3500 ft until abeam central park. We acknowledged the instruction and began the level out. I configured to gear down and flaps 3 and slowed to 160 KTS. We both hunted for central park and then recognized the dark area of the island as the relevant landmark. I double-checked the display on my navigation screen for our proximity to the approach course and then visually idented the airport. I pulled the airplane into an open descent well before the 'abeam' point of the park and did so with a nagging sense of dread that the descent was going to be exciting. What had been a leisurely trip up the river was suddenly an exercise approaching aerobatics to get the machine down. Flaps full, a sharp descending turn onto final, and a glide path indicator buried at the bottom of the scale was the not-so-happy face on the pfd. We were at least 1000 ft above the glide path just inside the OM. The 1000 ft AGL call was made and we were still flush with kinetic energy. Visual approach plus 15 and engines just beginning to spool up. Though the landing was successful in that we didn't bend flesh or metal. Hindsight clearly suggests that a missed approach would have been a more prudent action. Moreover, the relatively happy ending does not in any way mitigate the premise of what will never transpire between this pilot and new york approach again. To place the airplane at a point in space (3500 ft until abeam central park) such that one must push beyond the limits of acceptable stability is absolutely unacceptable! Whether this constraint is generated for the sake of noise abatement or for the sake of sequencing with arrival traffic in newark is irrelevant to the damnable position it places the unsuspecting crew in. If you find new york attempting to impose this altitude constraint on you, firmly reject the clearance! Fly the visual approach as it is published and it will be enjoyable and safe. Fly it as approach commonly issues it and you may place yourself in harm's way.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR LGT CAPT OBJECTS TO THE LGA RIVER APCH.

Narrative: THE ATIS WAS ADVERTISING BASIC VFR CONDITIONS WITH UNLIMITED VISIBILITY AND VISUAL APCHS IN PROGRESS FOR RWY 22. MY FO LOADED THE ILS RWY 22 APCH INTO THE FMGC ALONG WITH THE RELEVANT DATA ON THE APCH PERFORMANCE PAGE OF THE MCDU. WE BRIEFED THE APCH AT ABOUT 25000 FT IN THE DSCNT. THE DSCNT AND APCH CHKS WERE ACCOMPLISHED AT THEIR APPROPRIATE TIMES AND WE WERE THEN HANDED OFF TO THE FINAL APCH CTLR. WE WERE SLOWING AT 10000 FT AND WERE ABOUT 30 FLYING MI FROM THE ARPT. THIS CTLR ADVISED US TO PLAN NOW ON EXECUTING THE RIVER VISUAL APCH TO RWY 13. WE QUICKLY RETRIEVED THE RELEVANT COMMERCIAL PLATE FROM THE AIRWAY MANUAL, RELOADED THE ILS RWY 13 APCH INTO THE FMGC, RESET THE FIELD ELEVATION IN THE MDA FIELD OF THE APCH PERFORMANCE PAGE, AND HURRIEDLY BRIEFED THE APCH. THE PLATE LOOKED STRAIGHTFORWARD ENOUGH WITH AN EXCURSION UP THE HUDSON RIVER TO A POINT WHERE OUR TRACK ALONG THE RIVER INTERCEPTED THE FINAL APCH COURSE TO RWY 13 WITH A R TURN ONTO FINAL. THE ALT INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO MAINTAIN 2000 FT UNTIL NECESSARY TO DSND FOR THE FINAL TURN ONTO THE APCH. WE REPEATED THE APCH CHK AND BEGAN OUR LEISURELY JOURNEY UP THE RIVER. WE WERE CLRED TO DSND AND FOR THE APCH. AS WE APCHED THE SE TIP OF MANHATTAN ISLAND, I HAD THE AIRPLANE CONFIGURED TO FLAPS 2 WITH A SELECTED AIRSPD OF 170 KTS AND WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH 5000 FT. THE APCH CTLR THEN INSTRUCTED US TO MAINTAIN 3500 FT UNTIL ABEAM CENTRAL PARK. WE ACKNOWLEDGED THE INSTRUCTION AND BEGAN THE LEVEL OUT. I CONFIGURED TO GEAR DOWN AND FLAPS 3 AND SLOWED TO 160 KTS. WE BOTH HUNTED FOR CENTRAL PARK AND THEN RECOGNIZED THE DARK AREA OF THE ISLAND AS THE RELEVANT LANDMARK. I DOUBLE-CHKED THE DISPLAY ON MY NAV SCREEN FOR OUR PROX TO THE APCH COURSE AND THEN VISUALLY IDENTED THE ARPT. I PULLED THE AIRPLANE INTO AN OPEN DSCNT WELL BEFORE THE 'ABEAM' POINT OF THE PARK AND DID SO WITH A NAGGING SENSE OF DREAD THAT THE DSCNT WAS GOING TO BE EXCITING. WHAT HAD BEEN A LEISURELY TRIP UP THE RIVER WAS SUDDENLY AN EXERCISE APCHING AEROBATICS TO GET THE MACHINE DOWN. FLAPS FULL, A SHARP DSNDING TURN ONTO FINAL, AND A GLIDE PATH INDICATOR BURIED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCALE WAS THE NOT-SO-HAPPY FACE ON THE PFD. WE WERE AT LEAST 1000 FT ABOVE THE GLIDE PATH JUST INSIDE THE OM. THE 1000 FT AGL CALL WAS MADE AND WE WERE STILL FLUSH WITH KINETIC ENERGY. VISUAL APCH PLUS 15 AND ENGS JUST BEGINNING TO SPOOL UP. THOUGH THE LNDG WAS SUCCESSFUL IN THAT WE DIDN'T BEND FLESH OR METAL. HINDSIGHT CLRLY SUGGESTS THAT A MISSED APCH WOULD HAVE BEEN A MORE PRUDENT ACTION. MOREOVER, THE RELATIVELY HAPPY ENDING DOES NOT IN ANY WAY MITIGATE THE PREMISE OF WHAT WILL NEVER TRANSPIRE BTWN THIS PLT AND NEW YORK APCH AGAIN. TO PLACE THE AIRPLANE AT A POINT IN SPACE (3500 FT UNTIL ABEAM CENTRAL PARK) SUCH THAT ONE MUST PUSH BEYOND THE LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE STABILITY IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE! WHETHER THIS CONSTRAINT IS GENERATED FOR THE SAKE OF NOISE ABATEMENT OR FOR THE SAKE OF SEQUENCING WITH ARR TFC IN NEWARK IS IRRELEVANT TO THE DAMNABLE POS IT PLACES THE UNSUSPECTING CREW IN. IF YOU FIND NEW YORK ATTEMPTING TO IMPOSE THIS ALT CONSTRAINT ON YOU, FIRMLY REJECT THE CLRNC! FLY THE VISUAL APCH AS IT IS PUBLISHED AND IT WILL BE ENJOYABLE AND SAFE. FLY IT AS APCH COMMONLY ISSUES IT AND YOU MAY PLACE YOURSELF IN HARM'S WAY.

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.