Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Situational Awareness; Distraction; Workload
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure; Human Factors
On the OAKES 2 RNAV Arrival into OAK. Sometime after the TOOOL fix we were cleared direct MITOE; the final approach fix on the ILS 30. We were cleared to 6000 than cleared to 4000. We were always high on this arrival and had the speed brakes deployed most of the time. Soon after clearing us to 4000; the controller asked if we had the Oakland airport in sight. We had the airport insight and I thought we were in a position to land so we said we had the airport insight and the controller cleared us to a visual to runway 30. I thought since we had been cleared to 4000 before being cleared for the visual that we were past the PARBB fix; one of the initial approach fix on the ILS 30 approach. Instead of holding 4000 longer I put 2700 in the altitude window and started down with the speed brakes deployed. As we started to level off around 2800 feet we get a ground proximity alert and I execute a go around. By the time we leveled off and cleaned the airplane up I decided we were unable to land from the position we were in; the controller started to vector us around for a new approach and landing on 30.At night unable to see terrain should never accept a visual! Should have turned down the clearance direct MITOE and chosen either PARBB or FRNNY.I was notified today and found out two things that happened during this flight that was not included in the previous report. First; there was a flap over speed that I did not enter in the logbook. The reason I did not enter the over speed in the logbook was after the flight the airplane printed out a post flight report that did not list a flap over speed. Based on the post flight report; which I still have; nothing was entered in the logbook. Secondly; I exceeded 250 knots below 10;000 feet. That omission was an oversight.
I think that the main factor of this is losing our reference and situational awareness on the NAV display when accepting a direct to MITOE fix. This led us down a path of not being familiar with the terrain in the area. I will never accept a visual approach at unfamiliar airport at night again. Also noticed the next day that the IPAD charts on night view show the terrain as water and the water as terrain big potential problem. Using ATC guidance and avoiding visual approaches in unfamiliar airports with terrain.We were in a high workload environment dealing with a GPWS terrain warning and did not notice the flap over speed.Paying closer attention to detail with aircraft parameters and limitations.
Air carrier flight crew reported being cleared for a night visual to OAK Runway 30. They were descending towards 2;800 feet after accepting direct to MITOE while still near PARBB. The EGPWS Terrain Warning alerted mandating a go-around which was followed by a vector back to the airport.