B747 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 220; Flight Crew Total 24000; Flight Crew Type 4500
Confusion; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Aircraft
Approach to ETAR daylight; CAVOK; ILS Runway 09.  We were about 6 NM out tracking the LOC inbound to Runway 09.  The First Officer (PF) had just called for gear down as we intercepted the glide slope and Approach (GCA controller) directed us to contact Tower.  At this point we got the EGPWS WARNING: TERRAIN TERRAIN PULL UP PULL UP.  We had the field insight and were on the glide slope with the PAPI clearly visible.  It was a major distraction at a busy time.  I directed that the EGPWS be overridden and I contacted the Tower and obtained Landing clearance.  We completed an uneventful landing on Runway 09.  Had this happened at night or in IMC we would have executed an immediate missed approach.  I suspected a database corruption.  Some airports that we operate into are not in the database or a particular runway is not in the database; in these situations we are directed by the briefing page or by Notam to place the EGPWS system to OVERRIDE prior to conducting the approach to avoid a FALSE EGPWS WARNING.  At ETAR we had no such information to go on.  In the past I have made several arrivals at RMS uneventfully and I remembered no special EGPWS instructions.  EGPWS is a vital safety system along with TCAS and is in my opinion is one of the most important enhancements to SAFETY that we have adopted in the past 20 years.
B747 Captain reports a false EGPWS terrain warning during ILS to Runway 9 at ETAR in day VMC.  The system is overridden and the approach is continued to landing.