Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
ATC assigned 3000 ft. then cleared us direct DIALS for the Expressway Visual 31. DIALS is crossed at 2500. We were at 3000 and because we didn't fly over PACHU the aircraft didn't capture the RNAV Approach. We started to descend to 2500 but crossed DIALS at 2900. Kept descending; crossed PKARD at 1500 and captured approach. Plus approximately 20 knots at 1000 ft.; plus 7 knots at 500 feet. Stabilized criteria met at 500 ft. for VMC conditions. Normally ATC assigns final altitude to coincide with approach. This did not occur and because of our expectation bias we didn't catch it. Landed normally within parameters. ATC should give final altitude for fix going to when clearing for approach.
Pilot reported an unstable approach on a Expressway Visual arrival to LGA.