Super King Air 300
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 20; Flight Crew Total 4700; Flight Crew Type 1000
Situational Awareness
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors
We had announced airfield in sight and were cleared for the visual and frequency changed to Tower. When descending down to traffic pattern altitude the Tower advised they were detecting an altitude alert. The crew maintained visual clearance of all obstacles but initiated the climb to higher altitude (2;000 MSL) to remedy the alert. We later discussed maintaining last assigned altitude until closer to the airport on subsequent flights to preclude altitude alerts.
A BE300 flight crew; cleared for a visual approach to BWI descended prematurely triggering a low altitude alert from the Tower. The flight crew climbed to a safer altitude and completed their approach and landing.