Narrative:

At the end of a 9 1/2 hour flight; we had a night arrival to dal. The WX was benign and visual and ILS approachs to runway 31L and runway 31R were in use. It was a very dark; high overcast night. I asked the captain if he wanted the ILS since we had to check the autoland capability of the airplane; but he said that we could still couple up the autoland from a visual (which we can); so he wanted a visual to save a few mi. While I have a personal rule against night visuals at unfamiliar airports; I didn't put my foot down and asked approach for the visual. The captain set up for about a 5 mi right base leg and descended to 1700 ft (about 500 ft below the FAF altitude for rosse; a 5 mi fix; and about 1200 ft AGL). At the time I thought it was pretty low and a bit sporty but allowed him to continue. As we neared rosse; I started noticing that the buildings of downtown dallas are located near rosse and looked very close. We then got a GPWS 'obstacle' caution and the captain turned north to avoid the obstacle. He continued to descend in the turn as I looked out the windows. When I looked back inside we were at approximately 600 ft RA somewhere southeast of the airport; nowhere near the localizer. I told him he needed to climb and turn 30 degrees left to get back on path. He made some comment about the obstacle and I told him we needed to go around as we would never get an autoland from this low and close. He agreed and we accelerated; cleaned up; declared a go around and got vectors back to an uneventful ILS autoland. I am a qualified captain and experienced on the type. However; for this test flight I was serving as sic/pilot monitoring. The PIC/PF was a highly experienced training captain so I allowed him more latitude than I should have. A subsequent review of the charted obstacles show that we may have been within a couple hundred ft vertically of the published obstacles and were certainly in a high risk location. I've had some of my most worrisome moments while flying with 'highly experienced capts.' it's very easy to let your guard down when flying with these pilots; but they do make mistakes and it's up to the entire crew to catch the errors.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 BBJ FLT CREW DURING A VISUAL NIGHT APCH TO RWY 31R DAL RECEIVE A GPWS 'OBSTACLE' ALERT; EXECUTES A GAR AND RETURNS FOR LNDG.

Narrative: AT THE END OF A 9 1/2 HR FLT; WE HAD A NIGHT ARR TO DAL. THE WX WAS BENIGN AND VISUAL AND ILS APCHS TO RWY 31L AND RWY 31R WERE IN USE. IT WAS A VERY DARK; HIGH OVCST NIGHT. I ASKED THE CAPT IF HE WANTED THE ILS SINCE WE HAD TO CHK THE AUTOLAND CAPABILITY OF THE AIRPLANE; BUT HE SAID THAT WE COULD STILL COUPLE UP THE AUTOLAND FROM A VISUAL (WHICH WE CAN); SO HE WANTED A VISUAL TO SAVE A FEW MI. WHILE I HAVE A PERSONAL RULE AGAINST NIGHT VISUALS AT UNFAMILIAR ARPTS; I DIDN'T PUT MY FOOT DOWN AND ASKED APCH FOR THE VISUAL. THE CAPT SET UP FOR ABOUT A 5 MI R BASE LEG AND DSNDED TO 1700 FT (ABOUT 500 FT BELOW THE FAF ALT FOR ROSSE; A 5 MI FIX; AND ABOUT 1200 FT AGL). AT THE TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY LOW AND A BIT SPORTY BUT ALLOWED HIM TO CONTINUE. AS WE NEARED ROSSE; I STARTED NOTICING THAT THE BUILDINGS OF DOWNTOWN DALLAS ARE LOCATED NEAR ROSSE AND LOOKED VERY CLOSE. WE THEN GOT A GPWS 'OBSTACLE' CAUTION AND THE CAPT TURNED N TO AVOID THE OBSTACLE. HE CONTINUED TO DSND IN THE TURN AS I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOWS. WHEN I LOOKED BACK INSIDE WE WERE AT APPROX 600 FT RA SOMEWHERE SE OF THE ARPT; NOWHERE NEAR THE LOC. I TOLD HIM HE NEEDED TO CLB AND TURN 30 DEGS L TO GET BACK ON PATH. HE MADE SOME COMMENT ABOUT THE OBSTACLE AND I TOLD HIM WE NEEDED TO GO AROUND AS WE WOULD NEVER GET AN AUTOLAND FROM THIS LOW AND CLOSE. HE AGREED AND WE ACCELERATED; CLEANED UP; DECLARED A GAR AND GOT VECTORS BACK TO AN UNEVENTFUL ILS AUTOLAND. I AM A QUALIFIED CAPT AND EXPERIENCED ON THE TYPE. HOWEVER; FOR THIS TEST FLT I WAS SERVING AS SIC/PLT MONITORING. THE PIC/PF WAS A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED TRAINING CAPT SO I ALLOWED HIM MORE LATITUDE THAN I SHOULD HAVE. A SUBSEQUENT REVIEW OF THE CHARTED OBSTACLES SHOW THAT WE MAY HAVE BEEN WITHIN A COUPLE HUNDRED FT VERTLY OF THE PUBLISHED OBSTACLES AND WERE CERTAINLY IN A HIGH RISK LOCATION. I'VE HAD SOME OF MY MOST WORRISOME MOMENTS WHILE FLYING WITH 'HIGHLY EXPERIENCED CAPTS.' IT'S VERY EASY TO LET YOUR GUARD DOWN WHEN FLYING WITH THESE PLTS; BUT THEY DO MAKE MISTAKES AND IT'S UP TO THE ENTIRE CREW TO CATCH THE ERRORS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.