Going Around

It has been said that every approach to a landing—whether from the VFR traffic pattern or an ILS, and everything in between, should be treated as a a go-around situation. If conditions are conducive to actually, you know, landing, then by all means do so. But be prepared—spring-loaded, some advise—to execute a go-around balked landing or rejected landing, whatever the term du jour is. That’s all well and good, but there are two problems. The first is determining when to go around. The other and larger problem is what happens when pilots make that decision. Sadly, they often mishandle the maneuver and wind up in the weeds next to the runway or prang it onto the pavement just past the threshold.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots should approach every landing with a "go-around" mindset, being prepared to execute the maneuver due to runway obstructions or issues with aircraft configuration/position, and never reverse the decision once initiated.
Go-arounds are frequently mishandled, leading to accidents, underscoring the need for a deliberate, sequential execution of the procedure.
The correct go-around sequence involves smoothly increasing power to arrest descent, establishing an appropriate nose-up pitch attitude, and then carefully retracting configuration elements (partially retracting flaps first, then landing gear, and finally remaining flaps once a positive climb is established).

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That’s all well and good, but there are two problems. The first is determining when to go around. The other and larger problem is what happens when pilots make that decision. Sadly, they often mishandle the maneuver and wind up in the weeds next to the runway or prang it onto the pavement just past the threshold. The accident record is littered with examples of go-arounds that didn’t work, for whatever reasons. Let’s try to demystify some of this, and provide a set of procedures which should suit almost everyone, IFR or not.