Implementation of Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) - Final Report to CAST

Hop Potter, AFS-210, 5-24-06

What is TAWS?

TAWS is a stunning success in preventing one of the most persistent causes of fatalities in commercial air transportation, controlled flight into terrain, or CFIT. TAWS is an enhancement to the ground proximity warning system (GPWS) required in U.S. air carrier operations since 1974. TAWS exploits modern technology to include a forward-looking function together with the previously existing GPWS functions. That crucial improvement provides a flight crew with sufficient information and alerting to detect a potentially hazardous terrain situation well in advance of an encounter or an accident (TAWS is also known as enhanced ground proximity warning system, or EGPWS).

There has not been a single CFIT accident involving a U.S. registered airplane equipped with TAWS. This perfect record comprises operations under parts 121, 135, and 91.