Originally Posted by
ShyTorque
The point about having TAWS is that having to deal with constant warnings from it might have persuaded the pilot to turn back somewhat earlier. Obviously, if you have lost control of the aircraft it would be just one extra distraction to deal with.
The aircraft I fly has it but it really is only of use in the cruise, as a cross check of my adequate terrain clearance planning. It sometimes becomes a nuisance when landing at off airport sites. There is no “pull up” audio warning on it, btw.
and here's the problem. The TAWS would have been screaming at every turn on that trip and the pilot would have likely disabled the distracting audio, thus making it pretty much useless right up until impact. The TAWS doesn't know if you can't see where you're going.