Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 488; Flight Crew Type 488
Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
General None Reported / Taken
Weather; Human Factors; Procedure
On SUTTR 2 Arrival into SNA at night in IMC; SoCal vectored Company traffic in very close behind us creating a spacing problem for SNA Approach Control. While under the LAX Class B airspace; we were complying with FAR speeds. Approach Control twice told us to 'keep your speed up.' It was impossible to go faster while still complying with the FARs. Weather was a factor. We were IMC in rain; needing to slow to flaps 40 speeds to land on a short/wet runway in heavy rain at night. Approach continued to keep us fast on downwind then vectored us to a 90 degree intercept to the final approach course at the final approach fix. Through great communication from the Pilot Monitoring who recognized me slipping into the Yellow; we were able to get a stabilized approach by 1;000 feet. However; I was well into the Yellow; at times dipping into the Red; simply to fix a minor spacing issue caused by ATC.Approach Control needs to be aware of the speed restrictions in their own airspace. Approach Control should have a basic understanding of the additive weather conditions within their airspace; and the effects that weather has on approach capability. I should have directed the Pilot Monitoring to tell Approach we would take vectors to a 7-8 mile final to give me more time to follow a normal approach and configuration sequence to stay in the Green.
Air carrier First Officer reported experiencing a near unstabilized approach while on the SUTTR 2 Arrival to SNA airport due to ATC instructions to resolve a spacing issue.