When should you go around after a bounced landing in a heavy jet?

Go around immediately if the bounce results in the aircraft being more than a foot or two above the runway, if the pitch attitude is significantly nose-high, or if there is any doubt about the ability to land safely within the remaining runway. FAA-H-8083-3C makes clear that if doubt exists, the go-around is always the correct decision — attempting to force a heavy jet back onto the runway from a moderate or severe bounce dramatically increases the risk of a second, harder impact or tail strike.

Why do you apply go-around thrust immediately after a bounced landing even before the aircraft climbs?

Turbofan engines have an inherent lag between throttle advancement from idle and the development of useable thrust, with the exact duration varying by engine type and ambient conditions. Applying thrust immediately gives the engines the maximum possible time to develop climb power before the aircraft needs it. Delaying throttle advancement even briefly means the aircraft may still be near idle thrust when it needs to climb away, leaving the crew with no energy reserve to arrest a descent.

What is the correct pitch attitude to hold during a go-around after a bounce in a transport-category jet?

The pilot should establish the published go-around pitch attitude from the aircraft's Approved Flight Manual (AFM) or Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) — this value varies by aircraft type and is not a universally fixed range. The key is to hold that attitude steady while thrust is spooling up, avoiding both excessive nose-high pitch that bleeds airspeed and any impulse to push the nose down toward the runway. The gear is raised after confirming a positive rate of climb, typically before or concurrent with the start of flap retraction to the go-around setting, with the exact sequence defined by the aircraft-specific AFM/QRH.

Bounced Landing Recovery & Go-Around Decision in Heavy Jets

Every landing carries the potential for a bounce, and in heavy jets the consequences of a mishandled bounce are amplified by mass, inertia, and the time it takes turbofan engines to spool up to useable thrust. The difference between a safe go-around and a catastrophic second impact often comes down to a single second of decisive action. Understanding why bounces occur, how to assess severity on the spot, and what control inputs are required to execute a proper go-around is therefore one of the most operationally critical skill sets an Airline Transport Pilot candidate must master.

The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Chapter 16, addresses bounced landing recovery directly and establishes the guiding principle: when in doubt, go around. That principle is not a cliché — it is grounded in the physics of energy management in large, heavy aircraft, where the margin for corrective action shrinks with every tenth of a second that passes after an initial hard contact.

Why Bounces Happen in Heavy Jets

A bounce occurs when the aircraft contacts the runway with enough vertical velocity or an inappropriate pitch attitude to cause it to become airborne again rather than settle onto the surface. In heavy jets, the most common contributing factors are:

Excessive sink rate at flare initiation: A high sink rate that is not arrested early enough results in hard contact before the aircraft's energy state can be properly managed.
Floating during the flare: Carrying excess airspeed into the flare causes the aircraft to continue flying, often leading to late, firm contact with remaining runway behind the pilot.
Improper pitch attitude: Flaring too aggressively in a heavy jet can place the nose so high that the main gear contact is violent, sending the aircraft back into the air in an exaggerated nose-high attitude that is difficult to recover from.
Crosswind complications: A drift that is not fully corrected before touchdown can cause an asymmetric contact, bouncing the aircraft sideways as well as upward.
Unstabilized approach: Any approach that is not stabilized — meaning on target airspeed, on the correct glidepath, in the correct configuration, with thrust stabilized — by the appropriate gate altitude (commonly cited industry SOP guidance uses 1,000 feet AGL in IMC and 500 feet AGL in VMC, though these are operator-specific standards rather than a fixed FAA regulatory figure) dramatically increases the risk of a bounce.

How to Assess Bounce Severity

The moment of contact is not the moment to begin deliberation. Pilots must train to assess bounce severity in a fraction of a second using three immediate cues: height above the runway, pitch attitude, and airspeed relative to Vref. FAA-H-8083-3C describes a practical severity framework that can be summarized as follows:

Minor Bounce

A minor bounce is characterized by very low altitude (a foot or two), a near-level pitch attitude close to the normal touchdown attitude, and airspeed at or very near the approach reference speed (Vref). In this scenario, the pilot may elect to continue the landing by holding the appropriate pitch attitude and allowing the aircraft to settle, provided the aircraft is in the proper landing attitude and sufficient runway remains. However, this option requires immediate, accurate judgment. Any hesitation that allows the aircraft to descend in an improper attitude makes the minor bounce recovery no longer applicable — the situation has escalated to a go-around.

Moderate to Severe Bounce

A moderate or severe bounce is characterized by meaningful altitude above the runway (several feet or more), a potentially nose-high attitude, and the possibility that airspeed has decayed toward or below Vref. This is an unambiguous go-around. Attempting to force the aircraft back onto the runway from this altitude and attitude risks a second, harder contact in a nose-high, slow configuration — one of the most dangerous outcomes in transport-category operations. The aircraft may land on the main gear in a near-stall attitude, causing the nose to slam down violently, or worse, may contact the runway with the tail, resulting in a tail strike that can cause structural damage invisible from the cockpit.

Executing the Go-Around After a Bounce

The go-around procedure following a bounced landing in a heavy jet differs in one critical respect from a standard missed approach: the aircraft is already at or very near the runway surface, in a landing configuration, with engines at or near idle. The recovery sequence must account for this energy deficit.

Establish and hold the correct pitch attitude: As the aircraft becomes airborne after the bounce, the immediate priority is to establish a safe pitch attitude — the go-around pitch attitude published in the aircraft's approved Flight Manual or Quick Reference Handbook (QRH), which varies by aircraft type and is not a universally fixed value. This prevents further energy loss and sets the aircraft up for a positive climb once thrust is available. Do not attempt to push the nose down to force the aircraft onto the runway.
Apply maximum go-around thrust simultaneously: Advance the throttles to go-around (TOGA) thrust immediately. In turbofan engines, there is an inherent lag between throttle advancement and useable thrust — the spool-up time — the exact duration of which depends on engine type and ambient conditions. This is why the pitch attitude must be managed to an appropriate level during the spool-up interval: too aggressive a pitch increase without thrust will bleed airspeed dangerously fast.
Raise the landing gear after positive rate of climb, then retract flaps on schedule: Confirm a positive rate of climb on both the altimeter and the vertical speed indicator before commanding gear up. On most transport-category aircraft, the gear is retracted before or concurrently with the start of flap retraction, with flaps then brought up on the published schedule (often to an intermediate go-around setting) as speed and altitude permit. The gear creates significant drag; however, raising it before positive climb is confirmed introduces the risk of contact if the aircraft settles. Premature flap retraction, likewise, reduces lift before adequate thrust is established and can cause the aircraft to sink back onto the runway. The exact sequencing of gear and flap retraction is aircraft-specific and is defined by the AFM/QRH normal procedures.
Call out and communicate: The Pilot Monitoring (PM) should call out the go-around, notify ATC, and monitor engine instruments during spool-up. ATC must know immediately so that traffic on final or on the runway can be sequenced safely.

The Role of Stabilized Approach Criteria

The go-around decision is far easier — and far more likely to be made correctly — when a robust stabilized approach culture exists in the flight deck. FAA-H-8083-3C and the broader FAA safety literature consistently emphasize that the go-around is a normal maneuver, not a failure. Many bounced landing accidents have been traced not just to the bounce itself, but to the crew's reluctance to go around after the bounce, driven by fatigue, pressure, or simple surprise. Training must normalize the go-around so that it is the automatic, practiced response to uncertainty — not the last resort.

Key Numbers and Rules

Stabilized approach gates: Commonly cited industry SOP guidance uses 1,000 feet AGL in IMC and 500 feet AGL in VMC — these are operator/industry standards (e.g., Flight Safety Foundation guidance), not a codified Part 121 numeric requirement, so always verify operator-specific SOPs.
Engine spool-up lag: Turbofan engines have an inherent lag between throttle advancement and useable thrust, varying with engine type and ambient conditions, making early throttle advancement essential.
Go-around pitch attitude: Defined by the specific AFM/QRH for the aircraft type — there is no universally fixed pitch range; do not exceed a pitch that would induce a tail strike on rotation from a ground position.
Gear and flap retraction: Gear is raised after a confirmed positive rate of climb, typically before or concurrent with the start of flap retraction, with flaps then following the published schedule; do not land flap setting through positive climb. Exact sequencing is aircraft-specific per AFM/QRH.
The fundamental rule: If there is any doubt about the ability to land safely, execute the go-around. A go-around is always the correct choice when in doubt.

Common Test Traps

Assuming a minor bounce can always be saved: The exam exploits the temptation to continue. Once the aircraft is more than a foot or two airborne with a nose-high attitude, the correct answer is almost always go-around — not continue.
Confusing the gear/flap retraction sequence: In a go-around, gear is typically retracted before or concurrently with the start of flap retraction (once positive rate is confirmed), with flaps then following the published schedule — not the reverse. The exact order is aircraft-specific per AFM/QRH, and exams may test whether the candidate defaults to the correct type-specific sequence rather than assuming a universal rule.
Ignoring spool-up time: Questions about why thrust must be applied immediately after the bounce often test whether the candidate understands turbofan spool-up lag. The reason is engine physics, not pilot habit.
Pushing the nose down after a bounce: This is a fatal instinct. Forcing the nose down after a bounce in a moderate or severe scenario risks a second, harder impact in a flat attitude — which is exactly what the go-around pitch hold prevents.
Treating a go-around as a failure: The ATP oral and practical test may probe whether the applicant views the go-around as a normal maneuver. The correct answer — aligned with FAA-H-8083-3C — is that it is always a normal, planned option and should never carry stigma.

Bounced Landing Recovery and Go-Around Decision in Heavy Jets