ESTABLISHED ON COURSE; BACK COURSE ILS APCH; PF CAPT; LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND DSNDED TO MDA MUCH TOO EARLY. RPTR FO CALLED FOR A GAR AT THE SAME TIME ATC CALLED LOW ALT ALERT.

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WE WERE ON THE LOC (BACK COURSE) RWY 11 APCH TO FRESNO; CA. I WAS PNF. WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE APCH; TO MAINTAIN 1800 FT MSL UNTIL ESTABLISHED. WE INTERCEPTED THE LOC AND DSNDED TO 1500 FT MSL. AS I COMPLETED THE LNDG CHKLIST; I LOOKED UP TO SEE THAT THE CAPT HAD BEGUN DSCNT TO THE MDA AT ABOUT 6 DME; BEFORE PASSING 'STACK;' THE FAF. I SAID 'WE'RE LOW FOR OUT HERE' AS WE PASSED ABOUT 1100 FT MSL. HE WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE AS WELL AS INSIDE; AND SINCE WE WERE IN VMC CONDITIONS WITH GOOD GND CONTACT; I DECIDED HE HAD THE RWY OR ARPT IN SIGHT. I WENT BACK TO INST SCAN AND CALLED OUT '200 FT; 100 FT; MINIMUMS.' I HAD LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS; BUT IT REALLY CAME BACK AT JUST ABOVE MINIMUMS HOW FAR WE WERE FROM THE RWY. I SAID 'GO AROUND!' THE CAPT STARTED A GAR JUST AS THE TWR ADVISED US OF A 'LOW ALT ALERT.' WE FLEW THE PUBLISHED MISSED APCH UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO HIGHER ALT (3000 FT) AND A TURN. DURING THE APCH WE WERE FLYING IN AND OUT OF RAIN AND LIGHT TO MODERATE TURB. DURING THE MISSED APCH WE ENTERED MODERATE RAIN AND IMC. THE SECOND APCH WAS UNEVENTFUL. MY LAPSE IN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WAS JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP ME FROM BACKING UP THE PF AT A CRITICAL TIME!