2023-11 · NASA ASRS report 2059040
Air carrier flight crew reported receiving a GPWS terrain alert as well as a low altitude alert from ATC on approach to ILN.
We were being vectored for a visual backed up by ILS 22R ILN. We were between WIZRD and AIRBO. The First Officer (FO) was doing a good job and had done well for the previous several flights I'd had with him. Everything appeared stable and under control and the autopilot was engaged. Once we were turned on final; we were looking directly into the sun. At this point; I get distracted with trying to get my visor removed and stowed; because it was all scratched up and I couldn't see out the window particularly well; so I was heads down. While I was looking down I was startled by an altitude alert from the GPWS. At first; I thought it was the autopilot kicking off; it took me a couple seconds to figure out what was going on; and that we were; in fact; below final approach fix altitude; and slowly descending. I told FO to start climbing. At this time; the Tower called us to inform us Columbus Approach reported a low altitude alert; and I told him we were correcting. I had to coach the FO two or three times to climb back up to altitude; I think he was still a little disoriented from what the aircraft was doing; and the fact that we were still in a slight descent. He got the aircraft back on profile we finished configuring for landing; and the rest of the approach was uneventful. At no point did I feel there was a dangerous situation as we were VMC and had ample opportunity to get back on profile.
We were cleared for the visual for Runway 22R. We had the ILS 22R programmed in the Control Display Panel (CDU) as a back up. All checklist items on the approach checklist we complete. The aircraft was at 3000 ft. and made the right turn to intercept the localizer. The altitude fix prior to FAF was 2600 ft. I had placed 2600 ft. in the Mode Control Panel (MCP) altitude and pressed flight level change at flaps 5 and slowing to 180kts. To aid the aircraft and avoid a potential localizer overshoot I gave the airplane a 20 degree localizer intercept and had the LOC armed. The aircraft turned and intercepted the localizer. At that point I selected approach mode. But the aircraft kept descending below 2600 ft. just prior to reaching the fix. At first it was a slow and benign descent but then it picked up on the descent rate. The aircraft went below 2400 ft. which was the altitude at the FAF and at that point I decided to disengage the A/P add power and arrest the descent by hand flying. A few second later I heard the master alarm which I initially thought was the autopilot being disengaged without me pushing on the autopilot disengage switch. I then pressed the autopilot disengage switch on the yoke multiple times to ensure that it was not the autopilot disengage issue causing the alarm. But the alarm kept going off and when I got a chance to look over on the center panel; I saw the altitude alert light altitude alert" which couldn't be silenced until the recovery was made. We then received a call from ATC stating that Columbus Approach had received a low altitude alert on their end. We responded that we were correcting the issue. Now the altitude alert alarm was silenced. Now that I had stopped the aircraft's initial trajectory and was hand flying and in control of its flight path I reverted to follow the flight director to the runway for the remainder of the visual approach. The flight director made us continue to descent around 5 to 700 feet a minute. At that point the Captain stated that we continue to arrest the descent and level off till the glide slope came in which meant I couldn't follow the flight director commands and simply fly raw data along with looking outside for visual cues and cross check. There was some adjustment to the flight path on recovery to level flight as we continue to configure for landing. During the recovery; there was no other alarms that went off. I hand flew the rest of the approach and the landing was a non event. Upon landing; we were given the usual instructions for taxi and park; and that was the conclusion of the flight."
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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