Missed Approach

Richard L. Collins

Friday, September 05, 2008 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots must prioritize making a timely decision to execute a go-around (missed approach) when an approach is unstabilized or conditions are unfavorable, as delaying this decision significantly increases accident risk and severity.
Adhering to stabilized approach criteria—maintaining proper speed, configuration, and flight path by 1,000 feet (IFR) or 500 feet (VFR)—is crucial for safety, especially in heavier aircraft.
Unstabilized approaches, particularly those with excessive speed at the runway threshold or resulting in very late go-arounds after touchdown, dramatically increase landing distance requirements and the likelihood of serious accidents.
Pilots should always anticipate the possibility of a missed approach, plan its execution, and make wise choices about which approaches to attempt based on prevailing weather, wind, and runway conditions.

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A lot of pilots saw some impressive video of a German Airbus airline crew trying to land in a horrendous crosswind. Other than the wind, the weather was good. The crab angle on final was substantial and the turbulence enthusiastic. It turned into quite a tussle over the runway as the pilot tried to land. There was obviously more crosswind than control authority, and at one point it appeared that the downwind wingtip might have scraped on the runway. Finally, the pilot abandoned the approach and sought out a runway more nearly aligned with the fierce wind.

The news reports lauded the pilot for his flying skill, and that’s fine. But I had to wonder what he was thinking about as he pressed on into that approach. If it looked bad on video, it must have really looked bad from the cockpit. The pilot did finally become a wise man when he elected to abort the landing.