Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Airspace Structure; Human Factors
Approaching IND on downwind for 23L; Approach gave us a heading of 330 (base leg). I asked the First Officer if Approach asked if we have the field; what did he want?  I always ask the pilot flying if you have it visually; do you want to accept it visually? He responded yes. On base Approach called traffic orbiting downtown and we were still on a heading of 330. Shortly thereafter we were given a heading of 260 and Approach asked if we had the field. I said affirmative. As he cleared us for the visual; he called out the orbiting traffics position on the left and additional traffic on the right. We were at 3;000 outside of the outer marker which you cross at 2;700. I queried the First Officer about pressing the app/land tile which he hesitated to press. I mentioned it a second time and he pressed it. My attention went outside the left window looking for the helicopter traffic. I came back inside to cross check; I noticed we were approximately 700 FT low on the visual and glideslope.  I immediately announced step 1 and step 2 simultaneously and said; 'You're low pull your nose up.'  Approximately 3 seconds later Tower mentioned a low altitude alert. We're visual and all parameters stable on glideslope prior to 500 FT. Uneventful landing. There was no need to go around as the First Officer corrected the situation well before the 500 foot call.  Configured and on speed. First Officer mentioned to me in the blocks on the debrief that the traffic on the right was at 3;500 and felt the need to get below him. I mentioned to the First Officer the need to capture the glideslope and visual aids as the primary task because that is where controllers expect you to be on a visual while on final. The aircraft was final configuration at the outer marker.
Turning final on a visual; descended to 1;000 AGL 6 miles from runway resulting in a low altitude warning alert from Tower. Stopped descent at 1;000 AGL till 3 miles and continued down 3 degree glideslope. All speeds and configurations normal and stable. Scanning for traffic resulted in being lower than planned on visual turn to final.
Flight crew reports descending to 1;000 FT AGL six miles from the field on a visual approach to avoid traffic orbiting near the final approach course. ATC issues a low altitude alert.