Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airport; Human Factors
Landing in LSE at night the Captain; and I; experienced a GPWS warning going into the airport. We were on our initial descent going down to pattern altitude. During our approach briefing we noted that there were bluffs and towers in the area. During our approach down to pattern altitude we saw the towers and were concentrating on avoiding those. We were about to execute our base turn and were configuring the aircraft when we got a GPWS warning; 'Terrain; whoop; whoop; pull up.' I was flying and began adding power and initiating a climb. I turned the aircraft towards the airport because I knew the terrain in the river valley was lower than the area we were in. We climbed up and then restabilized and began our turn toward the runway and landed safely without any further incident. I feel this occurred because we were focused on avoiding the towers. They have added the note on the Briefing Page. I would go further and add that each time an approach is conducted to 36 that it de done with the GPS approach instead of just loading a visual approach when landing at night. There is no populace on the bluffs and so there is little or no light. Landing on the GPS profile into the runway would ensure terrain clearance. I have personally added a note on my Briefing Page indicating this.
Regional jet First Officer experiences a GPWS terrain warning during a night visual approach to LSE and takes evasive action.