B777 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Company Policy; Procedure
We were at 2000 FT on vectors. F/O was pilot flying. Approach control was vectoring us to join the localizer. They vectored us in too close to the final approach fix; and did not descend us in time to capture the glide slope. The F/O attempted to accelerate his descent to capture the glideslope from above; but at 1000 FT AGL we were full scale deflection on the glideslope; with the runway in sight. As IRO; I called '1000 FT full scale deflection.' the Captain responded 'it's a visual' and the F/O continued the approach. At 500 FT AGL we remained full scale deflection on the glideslope; PAPI all white; and vertical descent speed of 1700 FPM. The first officer called 'I'm going around' and began to level off and move the throttles forward. The captain announced 'I have the controls' and instead of executing the missed approach procedure; he then retarded the throttles; and continued the descent. He managed to put the plane down in the touchdown zone and exit before the end of the runway.ATC failed to provide adequate vectors to capture the localizer and glideslope; using normal maneuvers. The approach never met stabilized criteria. The Captain elected to continue the landing when the F/O called the go around.
The F/O was hand flying the airplane on a visual approach backed up by the ILS. The F/O was high on the approach and was not correcting enough to make a normal landing. He wanted to go around. I was confident that I could make a safe landing and took control from the F/O and landed on the centerline in the touchdown zone. At no point did I think the aircraft or crew was in jeopardy. There was no GPWS sink rate warning at any time during the approach. Auto brakes 3 was used as planned and we complied with the airport restriction of using idle reverse.After block in one of the IROs said he was going to file an ASAP report because he thought the sink rates exceeded company policy and I should have gone around. The F/O was high on the approach. Use the automation. I could have taken the aircraft from the F/O sooner.
On visual approach to a foreign airport with the First Officer flying; the aircraft was vectored in high and close such that the stabilized approach criteria was not met at 500 FT AGL. The Captain took the aircraft and elected to land.