An air carrier flight crew performed a go around when advised of a low altitude alert by the tower. ...

Attributes
ACN	908665
Time
Date	201009
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	BTV.Airport
State Reference	VT
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Landing
Route In Use	Visual Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	First Officer Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Commercial
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 230 Flight Crew Total 3000 Flight Crew Type 1200
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT

Narrative:

I (the pilot flying) started the approach under IMC conditions. We began the ILS DME runway 33 approach at 6;000 ft. Passing niduq at 6;000 I fully configured and began a descent to 13.0 DME and ehiko. At ehiko 3;700 ft and 9.0 DME the captain selected our next alltitude for 7.0 DME. We continued the approach. After 7.0 DME we once again started another descent after he selected our next altitude. It was between 7.0 and 4.0 DME that the airport came in sight. I continued to the runway in visual conditions. At about 4.0 DME the btv tower told us that they were getting a low altitude alert on us. I performed a precautionary go-around. We were then vectored around to 6;000 where we began the approach again. We landed without incident. I think that I should have continued on instruments a bit longer considering it was at night and it was raining. I feel that I was too willing to go to visual conditions.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An air carrier Flight Crew performed a go around when advised of a low altitude alert by the Tower. A premature abandonment of the ILS in favor of a visual approach during a rainy nighttime approach was a factor.

Narrative: I (the pilot flying) started the approach under IMC conditions. We began the ILS DME Runway 33 approach at 6;000 FT. Passing NIDUQ at 6;000 I fully configured and began a descent to 13.0 DME and EHIKO. At EHIKO 3;700 FT and 9.0 DME the Captain selected our next alltitude for 7.0 DME. We continued the approach. After 7.0 DME we once again started another descent after he selected our next altitude. It was between 7.0 and 4.0 DME that the airport came in sight. I continued to the runway in visual conditions. At about 4.0 DME the BTV Tower told us that they were getting a low altitude alert on us. I performed a precautionary go-around. We were then vectored around to 6;000 where we began the approach again. We landed without incident. I think that I should have continued on instruments a bit longer considering it was at night and it was raining. I feel that I was too willing to go to visual conditions.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

An air carrier flight crew performed a go around when advised of a low altitude alert by the tower. A premature abandonment of the ILS in favor of a visual approach during a rainy nighttime approach was a factor.