B757-200
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors; Procedure
After CEDES on the MOD 5 Arrival we were cleared via the FMS Bridge Visual 28R route; but not the altitude profile. Our descent was controlled by ATC and our airspeed was gradually slowed to as low as 160 KTS to sequence behind a B777 landing 28R. This left us high between GAROW and JANNY and the First Officer elected to configure to landing configuration there to facilitate a vertical path correction. We ended up rolling out on final well below glideslope. Tower issued an altitude alert and an altimeter setting of 29.71. We had set 29.91 when descending below FL180 as understood and read back in response to ATC. The First Officer asked about whether we should go-around and I told him to level off and intercept the glideslope. This was accomplished and a TDZ landing resulted. At the time my feeling was that we were correcting to the glide-slope from below on center line and on speed with CAVU weather. In retrospect and debrief we both agreed that a go-around was called for in this situation. We both felt rushed throughout the approach and the proper response would have been to go-around and set up again.
B757 flight crew reports getting low during the FMS Bridge Visual to Runway 28R at SFO; after getting high due to ATC speed restrictions. In order to get back on profile the aircraft was configured early and descends below the normal approach path resulting in a low altitude alert from the Tower. The approach is continued to a normal landing.