AN ACR TURBOJET CREW ON A CHARTED VISUAL APCH INTO SFO ENCOUNTERED LOW SCATTERED CLOUDS ON FINAL REQUIRING A LOWER THAN NORMAL APCH.
Synopsis
AN ACR TURBOJET CREW ON A CHARTED VISUAL APCH INTO SFO ENCOUNTERED LOW SCATTERED CLOUDS ON FINAL REQUIRING A LOWER THAN NORMAL APCH.
Narrative
DURING ARR AT SFO WE WERE GIVEN THE QUIET BRIDGE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 28R. THE WX EXISTING AT THE TIME SATISFIED THE MINIMUMS (1000 FT CEILING AND 3 MI VISIBILITY AT SFO AND 2400 FT CEILING AND 5 MI VISIBILITY AT THE BRIDGE) REQUIRED WITH CLR OVER THE BRIDGE AND 1000 FT CEILING AT SFO WITH A SCATTERED LAYER AT 700 FT EVIDENT NEAR THE ARPT; VISIBILITY WAS UNLIMITED. I ELECTED TO DSND TO 1000 FT AGL XING THE BRIDGE TO MAKE SURE WE COULD MAINTAIN VISUAL WITH RWY 28R AND CONFIRM THAT THE CEILING WAS IN FACT 1000 FT OR HIGHER. WE HAD PARALLEL TFC ON RWY 28L. DURING THE SEGMENT BTWN THE BRIDGE AND TOUCHDOWN; I FOUND MYSELF UNINTENTIONALLY DSNDING TO 700 FT AGL DUE TO THE DISTRS PRESENTED BY THE PARALLEL TFC; 700 FT SCATTERED LAYER AND MY DESIRE TO MAINTAIN VISUAL WITH RWY 28R. BY THE TIME THIS EARLY DSCNT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTN BY MY CREW; ACFT AND TWR; WE WERE IN A POS TO INTERCEPT THE GS AND CONTINUE THE VISUAL APCH. I BELIEVE THE WX REQUIREMENTS FOR THE APCH SHOULD BE RAISED SO THAT NO CLOUD IS ALLOWED BELOW 1000 FT AT SFO. THE SIT AT SFO WHICH PUTS PRESSURE ON BOTH ATC AND PLTS TO AVOID SWITCHING TO USE OF THE ILS APCHS FOR THE 28 RWYS UNTIL THE WX HAS DETERIORATED PAST THAT WHICH IS PRUDENT FOR VISUAL APCHS IS A WELL KNOWN HAZARD AND SHOULD BE REMEDIED. IT IS ABSURD THAT WHILE FLYING THE MOST SOPHISTICATED ACFT IN OUR FLEET I FIND MYSELF SCUD RUNNING; AT THE REQUEST OF ATC; INTO ONE OF THE WORLD'S BUSIEST ARPTS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.