Flight crew reported receiving a 'caution terrain' aural warning message due to an antenna near the FAF to ORF airport.

2022-05 · NASA ASRS report 1899243

Date: 2022-05 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-cftt-cfit

Synopsis

Flight crew reported receiving a 'caution terrain' aural warning message due to an antenna near the FAF to ORF airport.

Narrative

After being cleared for visual approach to runway 5 at ORF the FO (PF) set an altitude of 1;000 feet assuming he would turn inside the FAF. The PM (the Captain) advised the PF that this would be unwise to descend and turn to Norfolk at considering potential obstacles. The FO agreed and set 1;600 feet back but the airplane missed the level off and continued down to 1;000 feet before the FO shut the autopilot off and leveled the airplane manually. Nonetheless; the airplane sounded the 'Caution Terrain' aural warning at the same time the crew had already begun avoidance of the marked 1;236 feet antenna on 5's approach. The caution sounded for around 3 seconds and passed thereafter without becoming a warning. The FO then joined the glide path for 5 and landed normally.Better communication in the form of crew situational awareness should be maintained during visual approaches. This includes clearly emphasizing awareness of local terrain and obstacles. Even for a visual approach; briefing known obstacles and potential hazards should be done especially when under the circumstances of a visual approach in which ATC stops providing such protection.

Second reporter narrative

This was Aircraft X service from ZZZ1 to ORF. This flight was flown by the first officer and he had a 'caution terrain' aural warning message on the visual approach to runway 5 into ORF on Date at XA:48pm local time. Upon reaching the base turn at 2;000 feet for runway 5 we were cleared for the visual approach and at the time the first officer had selected 1;600 in for the altitude to level off. When referencing the ATC assigned heading; initially it seemed like a short approach and we were going to be inside the FAF; the first officer decided to set 1;000 in for the altitude to continue the decent. When realizing we were going to be low if we were to continue down; the captain suggested leveling off at 1;600 and the First officer agreed and selected 1;600 for the altitude but it didn't capture. As we finished getting configured we noticed it didn't capture the first officer slowed down the rate of descent to level off. Shortly after the 'caution terrain' aural warning message due to an antenna near the FAF. The first officer disconnected the autopilot and leveled off and turned away from the antenna as the corrective action. He then stayed leveled around 900-1;000 feet until he was centered and on glide path to the runway.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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