Medium Large Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 137
Situational Awareness; Workload; Human-Machine Interface; Distraction; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Aircraft; Company Policy; Weather; Procedure
We had to fly the VOR 18 into CRP in an older model aircraft and there are several Safety concerns that came up during the approach. The only reason we were able to find the airport and land was because of my local knowledge and familiarity of the area around the airport.1. The reported ceiling and visibility was 2000 feet and ten NM. However; inflight visibility was only about 1500 feet and five miles. 2. There are MALSR lights depicted on the chart; however they were either not working or not turned on. When we were below the clouds; all we could see were bright lights from refineries between the Derived Decision Altitude (DDA) and airport.3. There was a NOTAM that increased the minimums to 780 and two miles.4. The approach is at an angle such that you are not near the runway centerline when you reach the DDA.5. There is a 'ghost' top of descent point three miles past the FAF. We don't have anything in our procedures to address this in terms of where to start our descent from FAF to DDA.6. If you start the descent at the FAF; you reach DDA several miles short of where you expect to.7. Approach Control cleared us direct to CRP VOR and cleared us for the approach. This further complicates things as we were about 30 degrees off the final approach course while being cleared direct to the FAF. We recognized this problem and asked for vectors to intercept the course outside of CRP VOR.
Air Carrier First Officer reported operating an older non-GPS aircraft to CRP where VOR 18 was the sole available approach in reduced ceiling and visibility conditions; which made the approach challenging.