CFIT. THE FLC OF A B737 GETS A EGPWS WARNING TO CLB WHEN THE PIC DSNDS BELOW THE PUBLISHED MSA DURING A NIGHT OP VISUAL APCH TO RWY 11L AT TUS; AZ.

Narrative

ON APCH INTO TUS; RWY 11L; APCH CTL CLRED US FOR VISUAL APCH APPROX 30 NM NW OF THE FIELD. WE WERE DSNDING TO 6500 FT ON THE DINGO FIVE WHEN WE RECEIVED CLRNC FOR VISUAL. WHEN WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL; APCH CTL DIRECTED US TO 'CONTACT TWR 11 MI NW.' I LOOKED DOWN; SET IN THE LOC FREQ FOR THE ILS AND TWR FREQ IN VHF #1; BUT DID NOT SELECT TWR UNTIL APPROX 13-15 NM NW OF TUS. WHILE I WAS LOOKING DOWN; THE CAPT SELECTED 4500 FT IN THE ALT ALERTER; AND I DID NOT NOTICE THAT THIS WAS WELL BELOW THE MSA OF 5800 FT. AS WE TURNED TO INTERCEPT FAC AROUND 15 MI NW; WE STARTED TO CONFIGURE THE ACFT AND I SELECTED TWR. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE RECEIVED AN EGPWS ALERT FOR TERRAIN; I NOTICED THE BLACK SHAPES OF TERRAIN APPROX 3 MI R OF US AND THE CAPT STARTED A CLB OUT OF 5200 FT TO 5500 FT. TWR CONTACTED US; AS WELL AS COMPANY FLT THAT WAS 6 MI BEHIND WHEN APCH CTL NOTIFIED THEM THAT HE HAD A LOW ALT ALERT ON US. I FAILED TO PROVIDE PROPER BACKUP; BY NOT NOTICING THE NEW ALT IN THE ALERTER; OR NOTING THAT IT WAS BELOW MSA. I ALSO SWITCHED THE VHF TO TWR PRIOR TO 11 MI; WHICH PREVENTED US FROM HEARING APCH CTL'S WARNING. FURTHER; WHILE I SAW THE MOUNTAINS ON THE R; I FAILED TO VERBALIZE ANYTHING TO THE CAPT BECAUSE I ASSUMED HE WAS LINING UP ON THE RWY AND WE WOULD PASS WELL L OF THEM. THESE MOUNTAINS RISE TO 4687 FT AND HAVE NO LIGHT OR BEACON ON TOP AND AT NIGHT; WITH GOOD VISIBILITY; IT IS HARD TO JUDGE THEIR POS RELATIVE TO THE ACFT AND GS FOR RWY 11L. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 534823: AT APPROX 20 DME THE APCH CTLR ASKED IF WE 'HAD THE ARPT.' WE REPLIED AFFIRMATIVELY AND HE CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL TO RWY 11; AND TOLD US TO CONTACT THE TWR AT 11 DME. I; THE PF; SET IN 4500 FT ON THE MCP; WHICH IS ABOUT 2000 FT ABOVE TOUCHDOWN; DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND CONTINUED A VISUAL DSCNT TO RWY 11. AT APPROX 15 DME AND 5000 FT MSL WE HAD AN AUDIBLE TERRAIN ALERT FROM EGPWS. WE BOTH WENT TO THE RADAR SCOPE; WHICH SHOWED SOLID GREEN DISPLAY FOR ABOUT 10 MI AND 5-10 DEGS EITHER SIDE OF OUR NOSE. A FEW SECONDS LATER AND A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FT LOWER; EGPWS WARNED US TO CLB; WHICH WE COMPLIED WITH. THE TWR CALLED US TO ALERT US THAT WE WERE TOO LOW. WE FOUND OUT LATER THAT APCH HAD TRIED TO REACH US; BUT WERE UNABLE BECAUSE WE HAD SWITCHED TO TWR. THERE IS AN MSA OF 5700 FT ON THE RWY 11 APCH PLATE WHICH I IGNORED DUE TO VISUAL CONDITIONS ON A VISUAL APCH. THERE WAS NO GUIDANCE FROM THE APCH CTLR AS TO WHEN TO DSND BELOW 6000 FT FOR OUR VISUAL APCH. ALTHOUGH VFR; WE NEVER COULD DISTINGUISH ANY HILLY TERRAIN BTWN US AND THE ARPT. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ON THE HILLS ADJACENT TO THE ILS RWY 11; AND WE WERE DISPLACED R OF COURSE FOR OUR VISUAL ARR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 534823 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT SAID THAT HE HAD NO FEEDBACK FROM THE COMPANY ON THIS INCIDENT RPT. HE FEELS THAT THE ARR CHART AND THE APCH PLATE SHOULD HAVE ALERTS OTHER THAN THE MSA AS PUBLISHED ON THE APCH PLATE. A LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP HE FELT WAS A 'MUST.' HE ALSO DESIRES A CHANGE IN THE WAY APCH CTL ISSUES THE VISUAL WITH A CAVEAT FOR A CERTAIN ALT AND DME WITHIN THE CLRNC PRIOR TO CHANGE OF FREQ TO THE TWR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 534825 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FO STATED THAT HE HAD INFO FROM OTHER CREW MEMBERS FROM DIFFERENT FLTS AND DOMICILES THAT INDICATED PARALLEL EVENTS AT PREVIOUS TIMES. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST EVENT AT TUS OF THIS NATURE. HE SAID THAT THE FLC IN THIS INSTANCE WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH TUS; WITH THE W COAST CREWS FLYING IN THERE MORE FREQUENTLY. HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE LIGHTS PLACED ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP AND HAVE ATC USE THE PHRASE; '...MAINTAIN 6000 FT UNTIL 12 (OR AS DEEMED APPROPRIATE) DME...' HE DID NOT KNOW OF ANY COMPANY EFFORTS TO CONTACT ATC REGARDING APCH PROCS.