SMA DSNDED PREMATURELY TO MDA. CFIT.

Narrative

AS I UNDERSTOOD THE APCH CLRNC; WE WERE ASKED TO FLY '060 DEGS; MAINTAIN 1500 FT (100 FT BELOW PUBLISHED PROC TURN ALT); 13 NM FROM MELBOURNE; CLRED FOR THE STRAIGHT IN VOR RWY 9R APCH.' THE HDG WE WERE ASKED TO FLY (060 DEGS) PROVIDED US WITH A VERY SLOW INTERCEPT; GIVEN THE XWIND (SURFACE WIND 020/25 GUST 30) SO AFTER AT LEAST 3 MINS (3 MI = 1 NM/MIN); I FIGURED WE WERE INSIDE THE 10 NM RING ON THE APCH PLATE; WE'RE CLRED FOR APCH AND ESTABLISHED ON THE INBOUND COURSE SO WE DSNDED TO MDA; 600 FT (567 FT AGL). THE APCH CTLR THEN SAID; 'SAY ALT' AND ADVISED US THAT WE WERE STILL 12 NM FROM THE VOR. WE THEREFORE CLBED BACK TO 1500 FT AND WERE SUBSEQUENTLY VECTORED TO THE SW FOR SEQUENCING THEN BACK AROUND (EVENTUALLY) TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. WE ADVISED 'MINIMUM FUEL' TO AVOID ANY INORDINATE DELAY. FURTHERMORE WE WERE CONCERNED THAT WE WERE NOT RECEIVING A USABLE BEARING ON THE SQT NDB WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED US TO GET BENEATH CLOUD (MDA 440/407). WE ASKED FOR RADAR IDENT OF SATELLITE (SQT) AND COMPLETED THE APCH. FACTORS INVOLVED: GET HOMEITIS -- TRYING TO GET LATE NIGHT VISUAL ON RWY. POOR NDB RECEPTION -- CONCERN AT NOT BEING ABLE TO DSND LOWER; LATER ON APCH. NO DME STRONG HEADWIND -- UNABLE TO IDENT WHEN WITHIN 10 NM. I BELIEVE THE FACT THAT I HAD SPENT 8 HRS PRIOR TO THE NIGHT FLT INVOLVED IN MANUAL WORK CONTRIBUTED TO THIS OCCURRENCE. LOOKING BACK; HAD I BEEN SHARPER I SHOULD HAVE SIMPLY ASKED FOR RADAR IDENT OF THE 10 MI POINT WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED US A SAFE DSCNT.