LEAR 24 DSCNT BELOW MDA LNDG AT FAT.

Narrative

DURING APCH INTO FAT ON NOV/XA/99 AT APPROX XA00 IN ACFT; WE DSNDED BELOW THE XING ALT OF 1500 FT. THIS TRANSPIRED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: THE ATIS HAD BEEN RECEIVED AND INDICATED LNDGS WERE BEING CONDUCTED ON RWY 29R AND THIS APCH WAS BRIEFED. WHEN HANDED OFF FROM ZOA TO FAT TWR WE WERE ADVISED THAT WE COULD EXPECT A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 11L; A BACK COURSE APCH. THIS APCH WAS THEN QUICKLY SET UP AND BRIEFED; WITH THE APCH PLATE REMAINING WITH THE PNF. WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS THE MORLA FIX AT 2000 FT; THEN CLRED FOR THE STRAIGHT-IN BACK COURSE APCH TO RWY 11L. AFTER XING MORLA I ASKED THE COPLT TO CONFIRM THAT WE COULD DSND TO THE MDA OF 680 FT AND HE ADVISED YES; NOW CLRED TO 680 FT. WE DSNDED TO APPROX 1300 FT WHEN THE TWR ADVISED WE WERE LOW AND TO GO AROUND. ON THIS APCH THERE IS ANOTHER FIX (SLACK) WHICH IS TO BE CROSSED AT 1500 FT PRIOR TO DSNDING TO MDA. AS WE WERE IN VISUAL CONDITIONS; WITH RPTED WX BEING SKY CLR; VISIBILITY 3 MI AND WITH THE ARPT IN SIGHT; WE ADVISED THE TWR WE COULD CONTINUE A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 11L AND REQUESTED A SIDESTEP TO RWY 11R. TWR ADVISED THAT THEY PREFERRED JETS TO USE ONLY THE L RWY AND WE LANDED 11L. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE APCH PLATE BEING MISREAD BY THE COPLT; WHO IS NEW TO THE COMPANY; NEW TO FLYING IN THE UNITED STATES AND UNFAMILIAR WITH COMMERCIAL CHARTS. TO FURTHER COMPLICATE MATTERS; IT IS COMPANY POLICY TO DISALLOW APCH PLATE HOLDERS ON THE CTL COLUMN. THIS REQUIRES THAT THE PNF LAY THE APCH PLATE ON HIS KNEE AND PROVIDE NUMBERS AND ALTS AS REQUIRED BY THE PF. AT NIGHT WITH MARGINAL LIGHTING CONDITIONS THIS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I HAVE INSTRUCTED THIS PLT IN THE STANDARD APCH BRIEFING AND REITERATED THE STANDARD CALLS; AS BRIEFED PRIOR TO THIS APCH. I HAVE ALSO INSTITUTED A VELCRO MOUNTED CLIP TO HOLD THE APCH PLATES WHEN I FLY ANY COMPANY ACFT AND TRUST THAT THIS WILL ALLEVIATE ALL PROBS OF THIS NATURE.