Date: 202105
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: SDF.Airport, KY
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Night
Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Initial Approach; Final Approach
Airspace: Class C SDF
ATC / advisory: Tower SDF
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: First Officer; Pilot Not Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Human factors: Workload; Situational Awareness; Human-Machine Interface
Anomaly: Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Detector: Automation Aircraft Terrain Warning; Person Air Traffic Control; Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Aircraft Equipment Problem Dissipated; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Contributing factors: Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: First Officer; Pilot Monitoring. Captain; Pilot Flying. 3;000 feet MSL inbound to AWLEE 210 KIAS or greater assigned. Cleared for a visual approach approximately 5 miles from AWLEE 170 or greater to 5 mile final assigned. Continue on heading; allow spacing for visual approach at 210 KIAS. Abeam CRDNL given 080 heading and still cleared for visual and switched to Tower. 080 heading gave a perpendicular intercept course for final. Captain armed approach mode. Aircraft began an early turn to final simultaneously the Captain input a command that caused the plane to enter into pitch mode. I called out pitch mode and he turned autopilot off. I advised the Captain that he needed to begin a descent since we were inside the final approach fix and were 600 feet high. I entered vertical speed mode and put in a thousand ft per min rate of descent and dialed in a 45 degree intercept into the heading. Captain began slowing down and called for gear down; flaps 30; and flaps 45 at appropriate speeds I called for level off when I realized we were at 1;500 feet MSL (acceleration altitude). Simultaneously we received a call from Tower advising us that we were low for our area. I informed Tower that we were leveling and continuing our visual approach. At this point I went outside the cockpit and became focused on looking for towers that would pose a danger to our flight. I didn't recognize any threats. I thought that we could maintain this altitude and intercept the glideslope without issue. We then received a call of terrain. I said we needed to climb. No climb was initiated. We then received the audio alert of woop woop terrain. Pull up. At this point I stated we needed to climb. I began pulling back pressure and a climb was initiated. The audible signals ceased and we continued to intercept the glide slope. Once established on glide slope and on course I called out 1;000 feet stabilized and we completed the approach to a landing.  As soon as we were at 1;500 MSL I should have called for a go around. I knew the Captain was disoriented and was confident that I could act as a back stop to get him onto final. I didn't call for a go around after we stopped getting the audible warnings because we were at that point established within the safe and standard parameters of the approach. However; a go-around may have been the pertinent thing to do to increase everyone's situational awareness.




Synopsis: Air Carrier First Officer (PM) reported a CFIT event during night visual approach. The flight completed an uneventful landing after re-establishing stable approach criteria at 1;000 ft.