GPWS CAUSES ACFT TO CLB 1000 FT DURING APCH.

Date: 1995-03 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-unspecified

Synopsis

GPWS CAUSES ACFT TO CLB 1000 FT DURING APCH.

Narrative

AFTER BEING TAKEN OFF OUR FIRST APCH DUE TO INADEQUATE SPACING WITH PRECEDING TFC WE WERE GIVEN EXTENSIVE VECTORS TO AN ILS RWY 24R AT LAX. WE FINALLY JOINED THE LOC AT AN ASSIGNED ALT OF 2500 FT MSL APPROX 25 NM FROM THE ARPT. SHORTLY AFTER THAT; OUR GPWS ACTIVATED WITH THE WARNING 'TERRAIN' (MODE 2). I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED TKOF GAR THRUST AND BEGAN A CLB. WHEN THE WARNING CEASED I LEVELED THE ACFT AT 3500 FT MSL. WE TOLD ATC OF OUR GPWS CLB AND HE STATED THAT TERRAIN SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A FACTOR FOR US. I IMMEDIATELY DSNDED BACK TO 2500 FT MSL WHILE THE CAPT CONFIRMED WITH ATC THAT THIS IS WHAT THEY WANTED US TO DO. WE WERE STILL ON THE LOC AND WE WERE RECLRED FOR THE APCH TO RWY 24R. THE CAPT LATER STATED THAT HE SAW A READING OF APPROX 1300 FT ON THE RADAR ALTIMETER RIGHT AFTER THE GPWS ACTIVATED. LATER CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE COMMERCIAL APCH CHART FOR ILS RWY 24R AT LAX REVEALS A TERRAIN FEATURE APPROX 21 NM FROM LAX UNDER THE 24R LOC WITH A MARKED ELEVATION OF 1388 FT MSL. THIS TERRAIN MAY HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF OUR GPWS ACTIVATION. GPWS PULL-UPS IN CROWDED AIRSPACE (GPWS TAKES PRIORITY OVER TCASII) ARE HAZARDOUS AND ATC SHOULD BE AWARE OF TERRAIN FEATURES IN THEIR AREA WHICH MAY TRIGGER THESE EVENTS.

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