Small Aircraft
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 70; Flight Crew Total 8500; Flight Crew Type 70
Situational Awareness; Human-Machine Interface
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Aircraft Automation Overrode Flight Crew; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Aircraft; Human Factors
While in descent to an unfamiliar report; though the weather was VMC; I set up and prepared for an ILS approach to back up the visual Runway 4R in LFT. Then new weather came out and I was advised that Runway 11 was now the arrival runway. Though the VOR approach to [Runway] 11 was not available at night; I referenced the altitudes on the approach for descent guidance to the airport after I was cleared for the visual approach. In the meantime I set up the EFIS for a visual approach to the runway. In doing so; I mistakenly set my selected altitude to 0 instead of 'OFF.' In doing so; the flight director commanded a greater descent; which [I] mistakenly followed. By the time I realized my mistake; I received a 'Low altitude warning' from ATC at 850 FT. I climbed back up to 1;000 FT AGL; and made a normal descent and landing. I guess what I take away from the incident was that though the electronic navigation systems onboard the airplane; can be invaluable tools for situational awareness; I still need to use common sense airmanship to help guard against the human errors that still occur.
Single engine turboprop pilot reports setting up the EFIS for a visual approach and mistakenly setting selected altitude to 0 instead of 'OFF.' This results in an early descent and a low altitude warning from ATC.