B777-200
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Procedure; Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related
On approach cleared the visual intercepting final at 2;000 [FT]. We were waiting for glide slope intercept. Passing the final approach fix; no glide slope; so we were now a bit high on approach. VMC conditions and we were late with Before Landing Checklist completion. At 500 FT; unstable for Before Landing checklist was called and the checklist was then completed. Normal touchdown and landing was then completed. We failed to pick out of the NOTAMS that the glide slope was out for XX. Also; the Captain was new on the airplane and it was the end of a long international flight. Better reading of the NOTAMS would have prevented us from waiting for the glide slope to show up.
We were cleared the visual with the ILS armed but did not get the glide slope at 2;500 FT MSL at the final approach fix. Descent was therefore started slightly late and with a substantial tailwind at altitude; descent rate required was more than usual (approx 1;200 FPM initially above 1;000 FT AGL then around 800-1;000 FPM below 1;000 FT AGL); the aircraft was approx 8-10 KTS fast approaching 500 FT AGL and the Before Landing checklist had not been called complete although all items had been accomplished and were at proper 'green' landing settings. As Pilot Monitoring; I made an 'unstable...checklist' call at 500 FT AGL and the approach was continued to landing once the checklist was immediately acknowledged to be complete. Landing was uneventful. It was later pointed out to me that the glide slope was NOTAMed out; which I missed during preflight planning. First; I should've noticed the XXR glide slope was OTS during my review of the NOTAMS. Second; as a crew we were late in calling to recognition that were no glide slope indications on the PFD although we had the localizer. If we had anticipated earlier in the flight that we would have to manually fly a visual glide slope we would have been prepared to start the descent right away and would not have required excess descent rate to recapture the PAPI. This; combined with a large tailwind on final; made the stable point come very quickly.
A First Officer and an International Captain; new to the B777; failed to see the destination glide slope out of service NOTAM and after the autoflight system did not capture a glide slope; the aircraft was high and unstabilized for the night landing.