Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airport; Human Factors; Procedure
Approaching LAR in VMC conditions; we were expecting a visual approach; but planned to back up this procedure with the RNAV (GPS) RWY 21 approach. I was PM while my FO was PF. My FO; during his briefing; briefed this plan to my satisfaction. As we drew closer to the airport we requested to go direct to ZEDOP a 7.5 mile FAF. We received this and also a clearance to descend at our discretion to 11;100 feet.Subsequently they asked us whether we wanted to shoot the above mentioned approach or wanted a visual approach and we affirmed our desire to shoot a visual. About 30 miles out; we called the airport 'in sight' and received clearance for a visual approach. My FO dialed 9;700 feet (The altitude from the IAF to ZEDOP) into the altitude alerter; which I confirmed and he continued his descent and altered heading to the east to make the turn to final less acute.We received the handoff to the CTAF and I was engaged in making position reports. As I scanned our position/configuration I noticed we were about 200 KIAS and leveling at 9;700 feet about 5-6 miles from ZEDOP. I thought to myself that this was pretty low so far from ZEDOP and immediately looked at the MSA for Runway 21 noting that it was 13;000 feet just as we got a Terrain EGPWS warning. We immediately executed an EGPWS escape maneuver climbing to about 11;000 before the warning was silenced. The subsequent approach and landing were uneventful.
An air carrier flight crew reported a terrain warning and evasive action during a night approach in mountainous terrain.