This study involves a numerical simulation of spatially evolving secondary instability in plane channel flow. The computational algorithm integrates the time-dependent, three-dimensional, incompressible Navier–Stokes equations by a mixed finite-difference/spectral technique. In particular, we are interested in the differences between instabilities instigated by Klebanoff (K-) type and Herbert (H-) type inflow conditions, and in comparing the present spatial results with previous temporal models. It is found that for the present inflow conditions, H-type instability is biased towards one of the channel walls, while K-type instability evolves on both walls. For low initial perturbation amplitudes, H-type instability exhibits higher growth rates than K-type instability while higher initial amplitudes lead to comparable growth rates of both H-and K-type instability. In H-type instability, spectral analysis reveals the presence of the subharmonic two-dimensional mode which promotes the growth of the three-dimensional spanwise and fundamental modes through nonlinear interactions. An intermodal energy transfer study demonstrates that there is a net energy transfer from the three-dimensional modes to the two-dimensional mode. This analysis also indicates that the mean mode transfers net energy to the two-dimensional subharmonic mode and to the three-dimensional modes.