Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Procedure; Human Factors; Aircraft
Inside the final approach fix for Runway 22; First Officer noticed that we were below glideslope. The autopilot was engaged and approach selected tracking the localizer however; unbeknownst to us; the VNAV was in pitch mode. The First Officer brought this fact to my attention and I added power and began to climb to re-intercept the glideslope. Approximately the same time; I intercepted the glideslope we broke out VMC conditions and had the runway and PAPI insight. We performed a visual landing.Believing the autopilot had captured the ILS correctly; I relied too heavily on automation and failed to keep my scan going. I must keep in mind that the buttons in the flight guidance panel are myth and what displays on the PFD is truth. Meaning-- I can't rely on the aircraft to do what I command by simply pressing a button on the flight guidance panel. I must verify the plane is doing what I command by what is displayed on the PFD. I must also keep my scan going and not get complacent.
If we would have both initially verified that the Flight Guidance Controller and autopilot were indeed programmed to do what we intended to do at the top of the attitude indicator on the PFD this event would have never happened. I know to do this each [time]; but this time we assumed that by pressing the button on the Flight Guidance panel it would do what we wanted. This was the 4th ILS we had to shoot that day; so we possibly became a little complacent and our scan broke down momentarily. This reemphasized to me to never assume that when you press a button/mode on the Flight Guidance panel that the airplane will accept that function. You must always verify what the automation is doing on the PFD.
EMB-145 flight crew descended below the glideslope inside the Final Approach Fix; but corrected back to the glideslope after discovering that the VNAV was in pitch mode.