Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Situational Awareness
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
I was the Captain and pilot flying. We were descending via the arrival when we were cleared for the ILS approach. We were descending in VMC conditions. When we were cleared for the approach I set 2;000 feet at a waypoint on the ILS; and selected a vertical direct descent to that fix. As we were descending I realized I was too low for that phase of the descent [and] ATC brought it to our attention. We climbed back up to 3;000 feet and were cleared the visual [approach]. The mistakes I made were misreading and misunderstanding the arrival and approach; and failing to maintain good situational awareness during the descent phase of flight. The aircraft landed safety with no further incident. I should have descended via the arrival and kept the aircraft descending in LNAV and VNAV; instead of descending in green vertical direct.
ERJ-170 Captain reported receiving a low altitude alert from ATC on an ILS approach in visual conditions when he deviated from the charted procedure.