Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 393
Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Procedure
We were cleared for visual approach at FERGI intersection to Runway 19 at DCA. At start of approach all parameters on profile; however; after completing landing configuration by GREYZ intersection; I chose to go outside to utilize visual cues to follow the river to the runway vice crosschecking the LNAV/VNAV information. Undershooting crosswind from the left also compounded line-up to undershoot from the northwest. Momentary obstacle alert and simultaneous low altitude alert from Tower resulted in immediate correction of approach navigational/line-up deviation resulting in uneventful landing. At no time was situational awareness comprised.Better understanding and choice of LNAV/VNAV Approach choices to be programmed into the FMC. I should have chosen to utilize RNAV (RNP) Runway 19 Approach which would have allowed me to couple aircraft to autopilot.
Air carrier First Officer reported that they chose to utilize visual cues to crosscheck the LNAV/VNAV information; as a result they received an obstacle alert and a low altitude alert.