B767-200
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
On a high vectored left base to Runway 9 approaching KAVME; ATC asked if we had the airport in sight; I thought the First Officer said yes and I did have it in sight so I called the airport in sight. The Controller gave us a heading of 120 and cleared us for the visual to [Runway] 9. We were a bit high so the First Officer used speed brakes to increase descent and we were adding flaps. The heading we were given did not put us in position to intercept final and really just would lead us to about midfield of Runway 9. It was then I realized the First Officer did not have the runway in sight and I selected a heading to intercept final and tried to point out the approach lights. During this time the autopilot had picked up a false glide slope and started to follow it down. I noticed we were low and called for the First Officer to correct; at that time ATC gave us a frequency change and a low altitude warning. The First Officer disconnected the autopilot stopped the descent and intercepted final for a normal visual approach and landing.ATC was trying to fit us in ahead of another aircraft leaving us high and in close for the visual; we could have slowed things down by not accepting the visual approach. The Aircraft is very loud in the cockpit and helped cause the miscommunication between the crew about seeing the airport. Not selecting APP mode before being in a normal approach position would help prevent picking up a false glide slope when well off to one side of the localizer.
While in the turn to 120 I picked up the ILS glide slope which appeared to be coming down nicely from above (about 1 dot) from above. I armed the approach. About this time; the Captain (pilot not flying) told me that Approach Control's 120 heading was not going to intercept the localizer final and that the airport was further off to the right. As it turned out what I thought was the airport was NOT the airport. Between my misidentification of the airport; coupled with ATC's heading of 120 (which turns out was more a direct heading for the airport as opposed to an intercept heading for final) we were coming in rather angled to final; and as such; the Captain (pilot not flying) was thinking I had probably captured a 'false glide slope.'
Miscommunications between ATC and the pilots as well as between the pilots resulted in confusion and a modestly unsettled but ultimately successful visual final approach for a B767-200 flight crew.