Narrative:

On the hudson river northbound at 3500 ft. Cleared river visual to runway 13, maintain 3500 ft until central park. I have done this before so I asked what part of central park. Approach responded, 3500 ft till turning final, square the turn. Knowing this was a very tight approach, I was fully configured at minimum approach speed approaching the turn to final point. At that point, I reduced power to idle, pointing the aircraft at the earth attempting to get on the GS and spooled by 500 ft afe, our company requirement for visual approachs. With flaps 40 degrees and idle power, the sink rate is staggering that low to the ground but that is the only way it will work in this aircraft. The timing of the power application was necessarily perfect at 700 ft and we were stabilized by 600 ft for an uneventful landing. It worked for us, but only because I knew what to expect, pushing the airplane to the limit because that's what it takes for this approach. The aircraft in front of us wasn't so lucky but made a good decision, missing the approach when the pilot couldn't get it stabilized in time to make a safe landing. Taxiing in, we watched the airshow as everyone else was doing the overly steep dive. The approach as published is fine, but the requirement to maintain 3500 ft until turning final is a setup for an unstabilized final and potential disaster for someone who doesn't have his ducks in a row but tries to make it work. It should be maintain 3500 ft on the hudson with a letdown to 2500 ft approaching the turn point with a clearance to then maintain 2000 ft until established on final. I believe that this would comply with all the obstacle clearance and noise abatement requirements while allowing pilots to get quickly on the GS and properly spooled up, stabilized before you get too low. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated he has flown the river visual approach to runway and has been restr various altitudes. He had been instructed to maintain 3500 ft once before and contacted the tower supervisor. He said the tower supervisor was surprised that approach control had issued a 3500 ft restr and commented that he thought it was a little high. Reporter said he had flown the approach another time recently and was given a 2500 ft restr until the final. He said the reason that day for lower restr was because of a lower ceiling. The reporter also said he would like to see altitudes shown on the chart, that it would eliminate the confusion on when to step down to the next altitude. He said he notified the company and sent a report to the pilot safety representative on the difficulty of the 3500 ft restr.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT CLAIMS HE WAS ISSUED THE 'RIVER VISUAL RWY 13' APCH TO LGA ARPT AND TO MAINTAIN 3500 FT UNTIL TURNING FINAL.

Narrative: ON THE HUDSON RIVER NBOUND AT 3500 FT. CLRED RIVER VISUAL TO RWY 13, MAINTAIN 3500 FT UNTIL CENTRAL PARK. I HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE SO I ASKED WHAT PART OF CENTRAL PARK. APCH RESPONDED, 3500 FT TILL TURNING FINAL, SQUARE THE TURN. KNOWING THIS WAS A VERY TIGHT APCH, I WAS FULLY CONFIGURED AT MINIMUM APCH SPD APCHING THE TURN TO FINAL POINT. AT THAT POINT, I REDUCED PWR TO IDLE, POINTING THE ACFT AT THE EARTH ATTEMPTING TO GET ON THE GS AND SPOOLED BY 500 FT AFE, OUR COMPANY REQUIREMENT FOR VISUAL APCHS. WITH FLAPS 40 DEGS AND IDLE PWR, THE SINK RATE IS STAGGERING THAT LOW TO THE GND BUT THAT IS THE ONLY WAY IT WILL WORK IN THIS ACFT. THE TIMING OF THE PWR APPLICATION WAS NECESSARILY PERFECT AT 700 FT AND WE WERE STABILIZED BY 600 FT FOR AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. IT WORKED FOR US, BUT ONLY BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT, PUSHING THE AIRPLANE TO THE LIMIT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES FOR THIS APCH. THE ACFT IN FRONT OF US WASN'T SO LUCKY BUT MADE A GOOD DECISION, MISSING THE APCH WHEN THE PLT COULDN'T GET IT STABILIZED IN TIME TO MAKE A SAFE LNDG. TAXIING IN, WE WATCHED THE AIRSHOW AS EVERYONE ELSE WAS DOING THE OVERLY STEEP DIVE. THE APCH AS PUBLISHED IS FINE, BUT THE REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN 3500 FT UNTIL TURNING FINAL IS A SETUP FOR AN UNSTABILIZED FINAL AND POTENTIAL DISASTER FOR SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE HIS DUCKS IN A ROW BUT TRIES TO MAKE IT WORK. IT SHOULD BE MAINTAIN 3500 FT ON THE HUDSON WITH A LETDOWN TO 2500 FT APCHING THE TURN POINT WITH A CLRNC TO THEN MAINTAIN 2000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON FINAL. I BELIEVE THAT THIS WOULD COMPLY WITH ALL THE OBSTACLE CLRNC AND NOISE ABATEMENT REQUIREMENTS WHILE ALLOWING PLTS TO GET QUICKLY ON THE GS AND PROPERLY SPOOLED UP, STABILIZED BEFORE YOU GET TOO LOW. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED HE HAS FLOWN THE RIVER VISUAL APCH TO RWY AND HAS BEEN RESTR VARIOUS ALTS. HE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN 3500 FT ONCE BEFORE AND CONTACTED THE TWR SUPVR. HE SAID THE TWR SUPVR WAS SURPRISED THAT APCH CTL HAD ISSUED A 3500 FT RESTR AND COMMENTED THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS A LITTLE HIGH. RPTR SAID HE HAD FLOWN THE APCH ANOTHER TIME RECENTLY AND WAS GIVEN A 2500 FT RESTR UNTIL THE FINAL. HE SAID THE REASON THAT DAY FOR LOWER RESTR WAS BECAUSE OF A LOWER CEILING. THE RPTR ALSO SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE ALTS SHOWN ON THE CHART, THAT IT WOULD ELIMINATE THE CONFUSION ON WHEN TO STEP DOWN TO THE NEXT ALT. HE SAID HE NOTIFIED THE COMPANY AND SENT A RPT TO THE PLT SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE ON THE DIFFICULTY OF THE 3500 FT RESTR.

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.