B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 201; Flight Crew Total 1982; Flight Crew Type 345
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Airport; Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Procedure; Weather; ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings
Weather was 1500 overcast in SAN. Was conducting LOC (Localizer) 27 with VNAV (Vertical Navigation). ATC (Air Traffic Control) vectored us tight at 4;000 ft. Maintain 4;000 until LOC cleared approach. Was slowed by ATC to 170 knots. Upon Localizer capture configured gear down flaps 30 power idle since 800 ft above path. Briefed FO (First Officer) at 1;000 AGL (Above Ground Level) if not on path will power up to maintain 1200 ft per minute descent and if not on path by 500 feet or visual to land in touchdown will go around. At 500 feet just barely on path and added power to stabilize on path. IOW (In Other Words) ATC put us in a box where we just barely made stable criteria at NIGHT! I was fully prepared and actually thought we were being forced into a go around; but just barely met stable criteria. Then tower was trying to rush us to exit runway. Over all a much less then ideal night.
B737 Captain reported flying unstabilized approach to meet ATC constraints.