Tight Circle

Circling an airport after an instrument approach procedure (IAP) to land on a runway other than the one aligned with the IAP is something all instrument-rated pilots have practiced. Its a maneuver that places an airplane relatively close to the ground-sometimes at half the traffic-pattern altitude-and can require steeply banked turns.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Tuesday, July 21, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Circle-to-land maneuvers are inherently hazardous, often involving low altitudes, slow speeds, and steep banks that significantly increase stall risk, reduce airspeed margins, and alter visual references, especially in adverse weather.
A specific accident occurred during a circle-to-land maneuver where the pilot failed to maintain airspeed while attempting an aggressive, steeply banked turn in gusty tailwind conditions, leading to an aerodynamic stall and uncontrolled descent.
The accident emphasizes the critical importance of maintaining airspeed, planning wider patterns, and executing a missed approach when visual references are lost or conditions require steep banks at low altitude.

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Circling an airport after an instrument approach procedure (IAP) to land on a runway other than the one aligned with the IAP is something all instrument-rated pilots have practiced. It’s a maneuver that places an airplane relatively close to the ground—sometimes at half the traffic-pattern altitude—and can require steeply banked turns.

Of course, steep banks close to the ground are an invitation for a stall-spin accident when the vertical lift component is traded for the horizontal. Since circling is usually performed in poor weather, it can be a busy time: In addition to keeping the airport and intended runway in sight, pilots must also maneuver the airplane at a relatively low speed. Of course, slow airspeeds, steep banks and low altitudes are the recipe for fatal stall-spin accidents. There just isn’t enough altitude to recover.