Missed Approach/Go-Around Gotchas

Decades of aviation accident statistics have shown a significant number of accidents have occurred during the missed approach/go-around phase of flight, due to pilot errors and other causes. Transitioning from a slow airspeed close to the ground, with the drag from gear and flaps to a full-power climb, while accomplishing cockpit duties can present some special risks. Some decision errors may occur just before, during and after this procedure.

During my 50 years as a full-time flight instructor and 32 years as a former FAA-Designated Pilot Examiner, I have observed numerous pilot errors during the this phase of flight. A significant number of these errors involved poor decision making. In studying numerous NTSB accident reports regarding missed approach/go-around errors, I have noted certain patterns in the types of errors made by pilots, resulting in accidents.

As an insurance-endorsed flight instructor for the Piper PA 46 (Malibu, Mirage, M350) aircraft, I asked an aviation insurance underwriter about any consistent pilot weaknesses they had noticed with regard to this airplane. He indicated that some pilots lacked skill and knowledge in executing a proper missed approach/Go-around. He said that “pilots sometimes follow procedures in a hap-hazard way, without any order or structure to it. Some steps are left out.” Pilots sometimes don’t keep up their skills with regard to flying the missed approach procedures. They need regular practice with this and they should be evaluated on this more often in refresher courses and on Flight Reviews.

I have provided a list here of some of the primary errors and challenges that pilots should be concerned with before, during and after executing a missed approach or go-around. They are listed in order from the most often encountered to the less often encountered.

A) Not deciding to go around when a go around was the best course of action

After a landing accident, an FAA inspector will ask the pilot to describe what happened. More often than not, the pilot will say something like “I knew I should have gone around” at some point in the conversation. When the pilot is asked why he or she didn’t go around, sometimes the pilot will just shrug his or her shoulders and say “I don’t know. My approach and position was not good, but I thought I could fix it. I just wanted to land and get it on the ground.” There is no shame in executing a go-around and the inconvenience of a go-around is nothing compared to the inconvenience of a crash landing.

B) Not deciding to go around soon enough

Applying full power to start a go around as the prop blades are chewing up the runway pavement after stalling and the fire and rescue teams have been activated is TOO LATE! However, some have tried it. Decide to execute a go-around no later than when things start to look a little questionable, not when disaster is imminent.

C) Deciding to go around where the wise course of action was to not go around

If your fuel tanks are nearly bone dry in low IFR weather and you are on short final with a less-than-ideal approach (of course you should NEVER allow yourself to be in this situation), executing a go-around may not be the right move. Sometimes situational awareness and other priorities must be considered in making decisions about going around.

Several years ago there was a fatal accident at DeKalb-Peachtree (PDK) airport involving a Cessna 210 with an electrical problem and smoke quickly filling up the cockpit heading into PDK. The pilot was cleared to land and he selected runway 2 right (now 3 right). The pilot should have lowered his landing gear, verified gear down and locked, closed cabin heat and defrost, made a distress call and then turn off electrical power. The pilot only did one of these steps – he called the tower. Upon arrival in downwind at PDK, the pilot forgot to lower the landing gear. With the cockpit full of smoke with the electrical power still on during the final approach, the pilot received a call from the tower that his landing gear was not down and that he should go around. As the pilot was succumbing to the smoke, the pilot should have decided to not go around and complete a gear up landing and evacuate the airplane immediately. Instead, the pilot executed a low-level go around with a hard right turn and then decided to fly a close-in right downwind leg for runway 27 (this runway no longer exists at PDK). The pilot then made a hard right turn onto the final for runway 27. The emergency vehicles had been dispatched to runway 2 right and they were now crossing the last third of runway 27. The tower told the pilot to go around again because of the vehicles further down the runway. The pilot again decided to go around at very low altitude (approximately 30 feet). The pilot made a sharp left turn and the left wingtip caught the ground and flipped the plane over. A huge fire erupted and the pilot died. The pilot again should have not executed a go around. The pilot should have been able to come to a stop before reaching the last third of the runway. The tower controller should have advised the pilot in both cases but not command a go around considering his extreme emergency status. The aircraft in an emergency has priority and right-of-way over everyone else. The tower should have directed the vehicles to remain clear of runway 27.

D) Improper or incomplete procedures in executing the go-around

As stated by the aviation insurance underwriter mentioned earlier, pilots need to have a structured, systematic set of procedures to follow in the right order to properly execute a go-around/missed approach. There is a memory checklist for the basic structure of go-around/missed approach procedures that began circulating about 40 years ago called the 5 C’s. I added 3 more C’s to it (now 8 C’s). Some of the steps in this checklist may not be applicable to certain aircraft types and operations. The order might also need to be changed in certain situations, so it can be modified as appropriate. Always be sure to be familiar with the checklist steps in your POH and use them appropriately. The memory checklist steps are:

1. CRAM IT – smoothly apply max climb power and press the GA switch (this should cancel “SUSP” on some GPS systems) if equipped and apply appropriate rudder.
2. CLIMB IT – smoothly raise the pitch attitude for proper climb – Vy at least the first 1000 feet AGL. Trim pitch for this speed
3. CLEAN IT – retract landing gear, flaps and speed brakes as appropriate.
4. COOL IT – open cowl flaps if equipped and at the appropriate altitude, lower the pitch attitude, accelerate to cruise climb speed, set cruise climb power and trim pitch for this speed.
5. CONTINUE IT – on some GPS systems press suspend or verify it automatically occurred. On non-GPS approaches (ILS, LOC, LOC-BC, SDF and VOR) set the CDI nav source to GPS or verify it automatically occurred if you are flying the published missed approach procedure.
6. COURSE IT – dial in the new course or verify that it automatically occurred and turn as appropriate.
7. CALL IT – announce to traffic, and/or ATC that you are executing a go-around or missed approach and state your next intentions.
8. COUPLE IT – ensure programming of the autopilot/flight director is set as desired.

E) Incorrect order in accomplishing the go-around steps

On short final with full flaps extended – don’t retract all of the flaps before applying climb power, pitching up for climb and achieving a safe airspeed and altitude. This will help prevent a stall or unplanned drop to the ground short of the runway. It is very important to apply max climb power first. The Piper Cherokee series of airplanes (PA 28 / PA 32) have manual flaps. When the flaps are fully extended, the flap handle is positioned up near the power quadrant. Some pilots like to rest their right hand on the flap handle on final and during landing. if a surprise go-around is called for, some pilots will retract the flaps first without thinking and then when the plane falls and stalls, they give it full power while they are making a big hole in the ground. I consider it a good habit to keep the right hand on the throttle all the way down final and during the landing except when extending the flaps. Even with a student keeping the right hand on the throttle, the student will sometimes reach for the flaps first. I have had to develop lightning fast reflexes and anticipate this student action, so as to prevent certain disaster during go-arounds.

A few years ago a fatal accident occurred during a third go around in a Cirrus SR20 at Houston – Hobby Airport. The airplane stalled and entered a spin at low altitude and crashed. The pilot initiated a left climbing turn at a slow speed with flaps fully extended. There were several contributing factors to this accident, involving the pilot and ATC. As the pilot began the go around, she retracted the flaps early, which when combined with her bank angle in the turn, raised the stalling speed above the actual airspeed she was maintaining. With full power now set, The pilot was not applying sufficient right rudder. When the plane stalled, it entered a spin to the left and came down and crashed. There was insufficient altitude for activation of the CAPS aircraft parachute. In a single engine airplane with a conventional tail and the engine in front, – when you apply full power while trimmed for slow airspeed, the nose will aggressively try to pitch up as it is now out of trim for this new condition. If you don’t anticipate this with some forward control pressure and retrim, it is possible for the airplane to try to execute an elevator trim stall on its own.

F) Pilot lack of proficiency and skill to fly the airplane through the go-around/missed approach procedure

Regular training, practice and evaluation of competence in these procedures is important. Practice of go-around/missed approach procedures should be initiated from different stages of an approach at different altitudes and configurations. Missed approaches should also be practiced with and without autopilot/flight director (if equipped), including published and amended missed approach procedures. Practicing these procedures partial panel and full panel as well as on primary instruments and standby instruments is also helpful in building a safe level of competency.

G) Mis-Interpreting the missed approach point location and procedures

I have made the following observations while conducting IPCs, Instrument check rides and refresher training. Some pilots have executed a missed approach when they first reached an MDA on a non-precision approach instead of waiting at the MDA until reaching the missed approach point (usually the approach end of the runway or close to it). On a precision approach, some pilots have executed a missed approach as they reached the non-precision MDA minimum also published on the precision approach chart. On a precision approach to circle-to-land planned procedure, some pilots have flown down to DA and then executed a missed approach, instead of leveling off at the circling MDA and waiting until reaching the missed approach point. Some pilots flying localizer or VOR approaches with an early DME fix as the missed approach point have flown past that fix to the airport before executing the missed approach. Executing a missed approach procedure too early or too late can cause traffic conflict issues or even worse, controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). Careful pre-briefing of the approach chart and constant position awareness is essential to preventing these problems.

H) Equipment Malfunctions

Problems with flight controls, trim, engine operation and instrumentation can cause risky situations during a go-around/missed approach. A Cessna 150 at max gross weight at a high altitude airport on short final with 40 degrees flaps extended will be in big trouble executing a go around if the electric flaps fail to retract. At full power maintaining Vy, the best rate of climb will be a few hundred feet per minute of descent into the ground. I have experienced Flap retraction failures at least 5 times in Cessna 150s and 172s. Have maintenance keep flap selector switch contacts clean and flap trunions properly lubricated. If you are executing a go-around in a light twin-engine airplane with one engine inoperative (usually not a good idea) maintaining Vyse, your best rate of climb before a clean-up of gear and flaps will also probably be a descent. Even after clean-up at higher density altitudes at max gross weight in a light twin, you may also not be able to climb. In IMC with a partially blocked pitot tube (icing or bug eggs), the airspeed indicator will indicate a much slower airspeed than it should, which encourages the pilot to lower the nose in a go-around climb to the point where the aircraft might be descending. Always use all of the flight instruments and compare them. Use the pitch and power combinations that you are accustomed to for that airplane and turn on pitot heat if the airspeed seems erroneous.

I) Lack of situational awareness with regard to traffic (pattern and ground) or terrain

Back in 1993, a mid-air collision between a Robinson R22B helicopter and a Cessna 152 occurred while the helicopter was in a climbing left turn in a missed approach from an ILS approach to a runway 9 at Fulton County airport (KFTY). The helicopter pilot (applicant) was taking an FAA check ride and was wearing a view-limiting device. An FAA-Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) was conducting the test in day VFR conditions. A student pilot and a flight instructor were training in the Cessna in the pattern for runway 9, a parallel runway just the the left of runway 8. The Cessna was on final approach for runway 9 (this runway is now a taxiway at KFTY). The Applicant was seated in the right seat and the DPE was seated in the left seat. The applicant would have been wearing a view limiting device to simulate instrument weather conditions. the DPE would be serving as a safety pilot, responsible for traffic surveillance during this time. The helicopter was cleared for the published missed approach procedure, which called for a left climbing turn. As the helicopter continued this maneuver, it flew up into the underside of the Cessna. Both aircraft became immediately engulfed in fire and fell separately to the ground. There were no survivors. It appears that the DPE was not maintaining situational awareness with regard to the position of the Cessna next to the helicopter and the intended flight path of the helicopter during the execution of the go-around/missed approach. The flight instructor in the Cessna was not maintaining situational awareness with regard to traffic either. The tower controller who cleared the helicopter for the published missed approach and was supposed to be watching the traffic flow was also lacking in situational awareness with regard to the traffic. The student pilot in the Cessna should have been thinking about the traffic also, but was basically following the guidance from his instructor and the clearance from the tower. The applicant who was flying the helicopter was not at fault as he was flying on instruments and following the commands from the DPE/safety pilot and the control tower.

Another scenario that is more common is one where you are on short final and an airplane pulls out onto the runway to take off right away. If this happens, you need to monitor the take off progress of the other plane while you are executing a go-around. If the airplane taking off has stronger acceleration and climb performance than your airplane, it could catch up to you in the climb and collide with your airplane from underneath. If the airplane underneath you is a high-wing airplane and you are in a low wing airplane, it will be difficult if not impossible for each of you to see each other. In this situation, if it is a sunny day, look to the side to see if you can see your shadow over the ground and the shadow of the other aircraft. If you can see the two shadows and they appear to be merging together – take immediate evasive action, possibly a turn left or right. If you see the airplane below you climbing to you, side-step to the right a little and keep that airplane in sight. It is important to maintain radio communication between the two aircraft or with ATC. Be aware of other aircraft in the pattern as you make turns in the go-around climb.

Another scenario that requires traffic situational awareness is when you receive a land and hold short clearance (LAHSO). Before you ask, LAHSO has nothing to do with a cowboy’s rope trick. You need to be aware of aircraft departing or landing on the intersecting runway ahead of you. If you suddenly decide you can’t safely comply with the LAHSO clearance and you must execute a go-around, you will need to monitor the progress of any aircraft taking off in front of you from and intersecting runway. ATC should not clear an airplane to do this in front of you, but you have just surprised them with a go-around announcement. Your decision to go-around in this situation should be made as soon as possible to give ATC and the other pilot as much notice time as possible.

J) Improper use of rudder in a go-around/missed approach during power application

In the airport traffic pattern, as the power settings change from slow cruise to very little power on short final to max climb power in a go-around, the necessary rudder application can vary from none, to a little left rudder to strong right rudder. When executing a go-around from short final, you transition from slow airspeed and little or no power to full power and accelerating airspeed quickly while pitching up to a climb pitch attitude. During this time the airplane experiences a significant increase in 3 left-turning forces that must be countered with the application of right rudder. Those forces are torque, slipstream and p-factor.

Being at slow airspeed with gear and flaps extended, while raising the nose to climb, it is possible to approach a stall if the pilot isn’t careful (remember the airplane’s tendency toward an elevator trim stall -mentioned earlier). If the plane should stall and the rudder is not coordinated, a spin is likely to occur as I mentioned earlier in the Cirrus accident. If you are in a light twin engine airplane on final with one engine inoperative, gear down and flaps as appropriate, it is usually a very bad idea to decide to execute a go-around. If the flaps and gear are up and you can climb and you decide to execute a go-around in this situation, be ready to apply much stronger rudder toward the good engine and adjust bank into the good engine as appropriate. The go-around turn should be toward the good engine to keep the Vmc speed as low as possible.

K) Wake turbulence encounters occurring during and after a go-around

Most training discussions regarding wake turbulence avoidance usually focus on landing and takeoff operations. Wake turbulence avoidance must also be considered before, during and after a go-around. This is true whether the heavy plane or light plane is executing the go-around procedure. If a large heavy airplane is executing a go-around and you are taking off behind it – be aware that it can leave wake turbulence behind and below it. Also remember that a crosswind can carry the wake sideways across a parallel runway that you may be taking off from. Also be aware that if you are executing a go-around and you pass behind or below a large heavy aircraft that is on take off climb or landing approach, you can encounter wake turbulence which can also blow sideways in front of your flight path. This turbulence can make your airplane uncontrollable, especially if you are just beginning a go around a slow speed. If you are low and slow when this happens, it could be catastrophic. Maintain situational awareness of the location of other aircraft that are heavy and at slow speed arriving, departing or executing a go around at the airport you are approaching. Be aware of their position also when you are executing a go-around. It’s even more fun when you both decide to go around at the same time from different runways!

L) Spatial disorientation during the go-around/missed approach

During a go around, you are transitioning from a slow airspeed and a nose-down attitude to a nose-up attitude, sometimes with a quick acceleration in speed and a reversal from descending to climbing. If you are doing this at night VFR, over a fairly dark area, or in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), you may be susceptible to one or more illusions. The most common illusion in this situation is the Somatographic Illusion, resulting from acceleration. This illusion will make you feel like the nose of your airplane is pitching up too far and you will feel encouraged to lower the nose too far and climb at a shallow angle. As you do this, it causes the airspeed to further accelerate which boosts the illusion and you then want to pitch down more, possibly descending towards the ground that you can’t see and colliding with it. You must keep scanning your flight instruments and believe in what they show you when you can’t see outside, especially in a go-around transition. Practicing the go-around/missed approach at night and in IMC in training with an instructor is highly recommended.

M) Distractions from programming frequency changes, navigation, instruments, autopilot and flight director during a missed approach

With glass cockpits and more automation available to us now, there are many more buttons and knobs to operate. These features are great, but they can also distract a pilot for longer periods of time, which leaves less time to pay attention to flying the airplane. The most important duty of the pilot is still to FLY THE AIRPLANE! The pilot must still pay regular attention to position, altitude, heading, track, vertical speed, glideslope, etc. One of the busiest times in flying a high-performance, well-equipped complex airplane in IMC is during a missed approach procedure. The 8Cs are usually accomplished in less than a minute while flying the airplane. A well-equipped airplane will require some programming to take place during the missed approach in addition to re-configuring the airplane, flying the airplane and communicating with ATC. A pilot needs to be well-trained on proper division of attention and have good familiarity with the avionics. I teach my instrument students Steve’s 5 second rule. It basically says “whenever you are flying on instruments, never take your eyes off the primary flight instrument scan or you attention off of flying the airplane for more than 5 seconds”. To condition my student’s brain to have an internal clock for this, I give my student a homework assignment. Read one of you textbook assignments – thoroughly absorbing the contents. Also as you read, stop reading every 5 seconds and look a a clock with a sweep-second hand and catch where it is every 5 seconds. When you look at the clock, that symbolizes you stopping to check the instruments. Studying the book symbolizes you programing the avionics, copying clearances, communicating with ATC, etc. A pilot must also do a good job of pre-planning and pre-briefing the approach and missed approach procedure.

Regular training and practice rehearsals of the programming while flying the airplane are necessary to have the competence to manage it. I have seen students practically lose control of the airplane while programming during a missed approach. You must have the familiarity and habit-formation with these procedures to where they are automatic and second-nature to you.

Avoiding all of these missed approach challenges

One way to not have to deal with all of these issues I have mentioned is to take steps to reduce the odds that you will have to go around in the first place. This would include doing thorough preflight planning, maintaining situational awareness, being observant of other aircraft in the pattern and on the ground, checking the windsock closest to your runway on final, using checklists early and often (don’t discover on short final that your landing gear is up), communicate often and clearly with other aircraft at non-towered airports, look further down the runway on final approach for the status of anything in the way, allow plenty of spacing with aircraft ahead of you (especially if you are faster), slow down in the pattern if you are closing on the airplane ahead of you and study the Chart Supplement information for the airports you will be using, including LAHSO runway distances.

Be conservative with your personal weather minimums. If the forecast weather for the destination is right at published approach minimums, then the odds of having to terminate the approach with a missed approach go way up. Anticipate possible problems with landing by observing ground operations on final. When runways 3 left and 3 right are in use at KPDK airport, it is quite common for one or two jets holding short of runway 3 right and smaller aircraft holding short of runway 3 left. The jets holding short of 3 right cause a strong jet blast across the numbers of 3 left, 90 degrees to the runway direction. It is very strong when a jet is cleared for take of and begins movement uphill to taxi onto runway 3 right. A pilot in a small airplane on final for runway 3 left seeing a Gulfstream G-5 being cleared for takeoff with its tail pointed at runway 3L should shift the aim point for landing further down the runway and come in high above the numbers of 3 left to avoid being upset on short final. Otherwise you may have to do a last-minute go-around or maybe even lose airplane control. If the pilot chooses to come in high and feels that the remaining runway distance is insufficient, then a go-around should be immediately executed. All of these actions may reduce the odds that you might have to execute a go-around or missed approach on your next flight. Of course these measures won’t prevent another pilot or controller from making mistakes that cause you to have to go-around anyway. If you are a really sharp pilot, then anticipate their mistakes and compensate accordingly. I am still working on that skill!

Appreciating the go-around/missed approach

The go-around is nothing to fear or dread doing. It can be a welcome option to escape a problem and have an opportunity to fix things. Use a go-around as a tool to make a safer approach and landing by leaving a weak approach setup and giving yourself a second chance at nailing it. If you are taking a Private Pilot or Commercial Pilot FAA check ride and the examiner asks for a short field landing and you come in too fast and high – just go around. This is allowed and it shows the examiner that you, as PIC, recognized a problem in the early stage, used good judgement and made a good decision and took the right action to correct the situation. Now, if you have to go around 10 times, well . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I hope this information has been helpful and useful to you. If you give careful consideration to all of the points I have made regarding the go-around/missed approach phase of flight and you follow all of these recommendations, you just might be safer the next time you execute a go-around or missed approach procedure. I make no guarantees. In fact, let me tell you about how my guarantees work. In trying to calm my spin recovery course students, who might be very nervous, I tell them I am offering them a money back guarantee with this program. If we aren’t able to recover from the spin, I will give you your money back! Thank you for your interest.

Steve Shaner