Medium Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution
Weather
While holding at FL230 at KIILO on the BOOVE4 arrival we determined Abilene was our best alternate. We calculated the fuel required and decided we would shortly depart for Abilene. Just as we prepared to depart the hold for ABI ATC informed us that we could go to DFW if we could cross BOOVE at 11000 feet. We determined this was possible and complied with an ATC clearance to cross BOOVE at 11000 feet. We were instructed to depart CURLE heading 015 for 18R. As we approached BOOVE we were cleared to continue our descent to 6000 feet and were then passed off to the next controller. As we checked in the controller told us descend to 3000 feet for 13R. There was heavy rain and lightning in the clouds to the west and south west of airport. ATC advised that other traffic had reported smooth rides though the weather. ATC repeatedly queried us if we had airport in sight. We were continuously in IMC up to this point. We received a clearance to 2100 feet. When airport queried us for visual contact with airport we responded 'negative' and were then cleared to 2000 feet. At 2000 we still did not see airport. ATC gave us a 070 vector and instructed us to climb to 3000 feet. As we were configuring to comply with these instructions a different controller jumped in and told us to keep turning to 070 and maintain 2000 feet for a vector to 18R. Although this was the 3rd runway change we determined we could be adequately prepared and accepted the clearance. We encountered VMC and reported airport in sight. I immediately observed lightning strikes all quadrants around airport. Our last vector had left us slightly inside the final approach fix on base leg. We considered a missed approach due to the potential lack of stabilized approach criteria. However the radar and visual scan surrounding airport and the departure end of 18R revealed heavy rain and continuous lightning. We were fully configured with all checklists completed and decided to continue the approach while continuing to observe the conditions for a possible missed approach. The conditions continued to reveal highly unfavorable conditions to conduct a missed approach. Another consideration was the fuel used during our holding. A missed approach followed by a diversion to our alternate would have left us with less than planned arrival fuel at our alternate. Potential deviations around the weather on the way to our alternate may have put us in a critical fuel situation. Throughout the remainder of the approach the vertical descent had momentary excursions outside standard approach criteria. However due to the surrounding airport conditions; and fuel considerations; a continued approach with a slightly higher than standard descent rate was deemed to be the safer option. We finalized our decision to land on short final (approximately 100 feet) when we heard windshear reports broadcast.
Air carrier Captain reported a challenging approach with multiple clearances and runway changes into DFW due to bad weather.