Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Training / Qualification; Situational Awareness
Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Procedure; Environment - Non Weather Related
We received a low altitude alert from Kennedy Tower while flying the VOR or GPS 13L approach into JFK. We were in the process of correcting our altitude when Tower gave us the alert and when we rolled out onto final we were only slightly below glide path with one white and three red on the VASI. We were fully configured and ready to land on airspeed with a shallow descent rate or 200-300 foot per minute. I was flying and started the descent too early after crossing DMYHL (the missed approach point) at 800 feet. This was only the second time I have flown this particular approach and the first time doing it at night. Like I said it was a very shallow descent I started after DMYHL; I just started it too early; the Captain noticed I looked a little low and advised me to level out my descent. As I was correcting our altitude Tower gave us an altitude alert and a new altimeter setting of 30.33; we still had 30.37 set from the current ATIS that we called up with. The problem was resolved almost immediately and we performed a safe and stable approach to land when we rolled onto final.Suggestions: Find a way to provide advisory VNAV on this approach; or practice this approach in the simulators to better prepare pilots for it and prevent them from getting low.
On approach to Runway 13L into JFK conducting the visual descent after the final fix DMYHL; during the turn I informed the First Officer that he looked a little low. First Officer responded leveling off.  We were still in the turn following the strobes. A moment later Tower gave us an alert and gave us correct altimeter setting of 30.33. We were using altimeter setting from information of 30.37. This put us an additional forty feet lower. We were approximately 660 feet AGL at the time.  Unsure if this was before or after changing the altimeter setting.  Almost instantaneously we picked up the PAPI showing 1 white 3 red.  Our altitude; speed; and configuration was setup to continue for a normal landing.  Suggestions: On other approaches we have the capabilities to set up a vertical reference; but unfortunately there is no runway fix to setup a descent point on this approach.  If it is possible to set a runway point maybe a vertical guidance could be set up.
CRJ-200 flight crew reported a CFTT event while on the VOR OR GPS RWY 13L to JFK airport.