LTT FLT HAS LOW ALT ALERT ON ILS APCH IN IMC.

Narrative

WE LEFT CMX ENRTE TO MQT. WE LEVELED OFF AT 6000 FT MSL AND COMPLETED THE CRUISE CHKLIST. ABOUT 25 MI FROM MQT; ZMP TURNED US OVER TO SAWYER APCH. SAWYER APCH CLRED US TO 3600 FT MSL. WE STARTED OUR DSCNT AND COMPLETED THE DSCNT CHKLIST. ONE OF THE ITEMS ON THE DSCNT CHKLIST IS AN APCH BRIEF IN WHICH THE PF REVIEWS THE APCH PLATE (WX WAS 300 FT AND 1/2 MI). A FEW MINS LATER WE WERE GIVEN RADAR VECTORS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC RWY 8. WE WERE ON THE LOC COURSE WHEN SAWYER APCH CLRED US FOR THE ILS TO RWY 8 AT MQT. THE APCH CTLR TOLD US WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS TO DSND TO 2600 FT MSL. I SET THE RADIO ALTIMETER TO 2600 FT AND STARTED TO DSND TO 2600 FT AND MY FO READ BACK OUR APCH CLRNC AND ALT ASSIGNMENT. AT 3000 FT THE CTLR TOLD US THAT THEY HAD A LOW ALT ALERT AND TOLD US TO CHK OUR ALTIMETER SETTING AND ALT AND TO CLB TO 3600 FT. AT THIS TIME WE WERE ABOUT 3-4 MI FROM THE FAF INBOUND. WE CLBED TO 3400 FT WHICH WAS THE GS INTERCEPT ALT (AT THIS TIME WE DOUBLECHKED OUR APCH PLATE). WE INTERCEPTED THE GS; AND COMPLETED THE ILS WITHOUT FURTHER PROBLEMS. 1) HIGHSPD TRIP; AND TIME WAS LATE. 2) WE DID NOT DOUBLECHK GS INTERCEPT ALT WHEN SAWYER APCH CLRED US FOR THE APCH (ASSUMED THAT WE HEARD THE CLRNC CORRECTLY AND READ IT BACK TO APCH CTL). 3) THE MDT THAT WE FLY DO NOT HAVE APCH PLATE HOLDERS SO WE CAN HAVE THE APCH PLATE IN FRONT OF US DURING THE APCH; SO MY APCH PLATE WAS LAYING ON THE L HAND CONSOLE OUT OF MY VIEW. 4) RADIO COM PROBLEMS WITH RESPECT TO THE READBACK OF THE CLRNC AND APCH CTLR DID NOT HEAR OR THOUGHT THEY HEARD THE APPROPRIATE READBACK. 5) MY FO SHOULD HAVE MONITORED OUR PROGRESS ON THE APCH MORE THOROUGHLY. OUR STANDARD IFR CALLS ARE 1000 FT; 500 FT; 200 FT; 100 FT ABOVE DECISION HEIGHT; AND AT DECISION HEIGHT. 6) POOR LIGHTING IN THE COCKPIT FOR REVIEWING APCH PLATE AND FOR MONITORING OUR PROGRESS ON THE APCH.