Narrative:

While leveling at 2;700 feet; approximately 7 nautical miles south of roanoke; va (roa) on a nighttime visual approach to runway 34; the onboard egpws sounded with aural warnings: 'caution; terrain; caution; terrain' followed immediately by 'pull up; terrain; pull up; terrain'. As pilot flying; I immediately responded with power and pitch per the egpws escape maneuver. Once the warnings subsided; I resumed a normal flight profile to land uneventfully.visual aids and familiarity cannot be trusted for nighttime terrain avoidance; even in VMC. ATC had cleared us for a visual approach to runway 34 from 5;200 feet. Earlier; the approach briefing to my competent and comfortable first officer included terrain awareness; we actively managed our descent relative to known peaks and the published MSA; all while referencing a functional terrain display on our flight screens. Accepting the approach clearance from approximately 12 miles south of the roanoke airport; we descended to maintain the VFR pattern altitude of 2;700 feet MSL (1;500 feet AGL) until about 5 nautical miles away from the runway. I flew to square off the approach pattern and aid with our deceleration and descent. Looking ahead; we discussed flying around the peak of mill mountain and planned to continue down at 500-800 fpm with ground lights in sight along our path. At that moment; egpws issued 'caution; terrain; caution; terrain' advisories soon followed by alerts to 'pull up; terrain; pull up; terrain' -- we responded with the published escape maneuver; if also a little bit of surprise that our planning and diligence had not worked. Upon later research; it seems we had been passing over a ridge with peaks at 2;000 feet.as pilot flying; I immediately responded with max power and a go-around attitude per the egpws escape maneuver. Gear and flaps were up as we had not yet started to configure the aircraft. After noting a peak torque on both engines of at least 120% for at least one second; I corrected the power setting. Once the warnings subsided; I resumed a normal flight profile and informed maintenance control of the apparent engine exceedance upon landing.always approach an airport - or any situation - like it is the first time. I am proud for our decision as a crew to discuss the most immediate threats and to use all available information (briefings; descent planning; terrain displays). However; I am even more grateful for egpws' flawless performance; and for saving us.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier flight crew reported receiving a terrain warning while descending for a night visual approach to runway 34 at ROA. The crew performed EGPWS escape maneuver then resumed a normal profile to a landing.

Narrative: While leveling at 2;700 feet; approximately 7 nautical miles south of Roanoke; VA (ROA) on a nighttime visual approach to runway 34; the onboard EGPWS sounded with aural warnings: 'Caution; Terrain; Caution; Terrain' followed immediately by 'Pull Up; Terrain; Pull Up; Terrain'. As pilot flying; I immediately responded with power and pitch per the EGPWS Escape Maneuver. Once the warnings subsided; I resumed a normal flight profile to land uneventfully.Visual aids and familiarity cannot be trusted for nighttime terrain avoidance; even in VMC. ATC had cleared us for a visual approach to runway 34 from 5;200 feet. Earlier; the approach briefing to my competent and comfortable First Officer included terrain awareness; we actively managed our descent relative to known peaks and the published MSA; all while referencing a functional terrain display on our flight screens. Accepting the approach clearance from approximately 12 miles south of the Roanoke airport; we descended to maintain the VFR pattern altitude of 2;700 feet MSL (1;500 feet AGL) until about 5 nautical miles away from the runway. I flew to square off the approach pattern and aid with our deceleration and descent. Looking ahead; we discussed flying around the peak of Mill Mountain and planned to continue down at 500-800 fpm with ground lights in sight along our path. At that moment; EGPWS issued 'Caution; Terrain; Caution; Terrain' advisories soon followed by alerts to 'Pull Up; Terrain; Pull Up; Terrain' -- we responded with the published escape maneuver; if also a little bit of surprise that our planning and diligence had not worked. Upon later research; it seems we had been passing over a ridge with peaks at 2;000 feet.As pilot flying; I immediately responded with max power and a go-around attitude per the EGPWS Escape Maneuver. Gear and flaps were up as we had not yet started to configure the aircraft. After noting a peak torque on both engines of at least 120% for at least one second; I corrected the power setting. Once the warnings subsided; I resumed a normal flight profile and informed maintenance control of the apparent engine exceedance upon landing.Always approach an airport - or any situation - like it is the first time. I am proud for our decision as a crew to discuss the most immediate threats and to use all available information (briefings; descent planning; terrain displays). However; I am even more grateful for EGPWS' flawless performance; and for saving us.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.