Medium Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Time Pressure
Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airspace Structure; Procedure
We were descending into ABQ Airport for a visual approach to runway 26. We were at 10;000 ft and being given radar vectors. The controller advised us that the airport was at our two o'clock position. I looked and saw what appeared to be the airport and told the first officer to call it in-sight. The controller cleared us for the visual approach and I initiated a gradual descent and turned to a heading that would put us just inside a five mile extended final from runway 26. I had my GPWS on and saw that there was terrain to the north of our position but planned to stay well away from it but as we descended through 9000 ft; we received a GPWS Terrain Caution Message. I immediately initiated Terrain Clearance Procedures by adding full power pitching up and climbing until the Terrain Caution went away. We called ATC and informed them that we had climbed out of our approach and asked for radar vectors to runway 3. We reconfigured for an approach to runway 3 and followed ATC instructions for the radar vectors and then a visual approach and landing to runway 3. We left [our departure airport] over two hours late because of weather delays and it was [very late at night] by the time we were arriving into ABQ. When I was planning which runway we were going to use in ABQ; I saw that runway 26 would be the quickest approach to land because we were on a Westerly Heading and it would have given us the quickest Taxi time on the ground. In the future; I will never attempt a visual approach into runway 26 into ABQ. I think ABQ should be classified as a Special Airport because of the Terrain in the area. I think this will give pilots a cue to reconsider visual approaches to runway 26.
We had just rolled wings level onto the final approach course; with the runway in sight; when we heard the EGPWS terrain caution alert. I had visual contact with the ground; runway and airport environment at the time the caution sounded. We had passed what appeared to be the mountain range east of runway 26 and the aircraft was on a shallow descent to the runway. The flying pilot upon hearing the terrain caution alert immediately executed [our air carrier's] terrain caution procedure and I contacted tower and informed them we were executing a climb. The Terrain caution alert went away quickly. I recalled the altitude was 8;200 feet just after the caution alert. We leveled off at 9;200 feet on a heading of 235. The flying pilot and [I] decided it best to continue to ABQ executing the ILS Runway 3. I stated our intentions to tower who then provided vectors for ILS3. During the entire approach myself and the flying pilot confirmed we had the airport environment in sight and visual contact with the ground.
Air carrier flight crew reported that while descending on a night visual approach to ABQ Runway 26 they received a GPWS caution message. The escape maneuver was completed followed by an uneventful landing.