A B190 CREW ASKS FOR A VISUAL APCH TO DEN WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS IN THE APCH AREA RESULTING IN AN UNSTABILIZED APCH.

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VISUAL APCH INTO RWY 16L AT DIA. FLT FROM SANTA FE; NM. VFR THE ENTIRE ENRTE PORTION. WX RPT GAVE 10 SM VISIBILITY; 1500 FT SCATTERED AS THE LOWEST LAYER. SEVERAL SCATTERED CLOUDS N OF THE FIELD 1 OR 2 MI. THIS WAS CAUSING ACFT TO FLY THE ILS TO RWY 16L (GS OUT OF SVC). WE BRIEFED ILS (NO GS) TO RWY 16L; AND ACCOMPLISHED ALL REQUIRED CHKLISTS. ON VECTORS; ABOUT 10 MI N OF DIA WE HAD ARPT IN SIGHT; SURE WE COULD REMAIN THAT WAY; AND COULD REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS. TO EXPEDITE OUR ARR; WE ASKED FOR VISUAL APCH HAVING MET ALL PARAMETERS. WE DSNDED TO 7000 FT AND WERE STILL ABOVE LOWEST SCATTERED LAYER TO THE N. SCATTERED LAYER WAS CLOSER TO THE ARPT THAN WE EXPECTED; REQUIRING US TO START OUR FINAL DSCNT TO LNDG (ELEVATION 5500 FT) LATER THAN I WOULD HAVE LIKED. I (CAPT) WAS PF. WITH PWR IDLE; PROPS FULL FORWARD; FLAPS 17 DEGS; A RAPID DSCNT WAS MADE FOR THE RWY. THE APCH WAS UNSTABLE UNTIL A LITTLE HIGHER THAN 500 FT WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO SLOW DSCNT LESS THAN 1000 FPM; YET STILL REMAINED SEVERAL KTS FAST. WE TOUCHED DOWN BEYOND THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE BUT WITH A VERY REASONABLE AND SAFE RWY DISTANCE REMAINING. AS A CREW; WE ARE VERY EXPERIENCED IN THE BE1900 AND WERE AT THE TIME COMFORTABLE MAKING A RAPID; UNSTABLE; APCH ALL THE WAY TO THE POINT IN WHICH OUR OPS SPECS (BY BULLETIN) REQUIRE US TO BE STABLE. OVERALL; APCH WAS UNSTABLE AND I WOULD GO AROUND NEXT TIME.