Every approach to landing carries with it an implicit contingency plan: the go-around. Whether triggered by a runway incursion, an unstabilized glide path, a sudden wind shear event, or a badly ballooned flare, the go-around — sometimes called a rejected landing — is the deliberate, controlled decision to abandon a landing attempt and climb away safely. Far from signaling failure, it represents sound aeronautical decision-making (ADM) and professional airmanship. The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3) states explicitly that the go-around must be initiated without hesitation whenever a safe landing cannot be assured, and the commercial pilot Airman Certification Standards (ACS) test both the technique and the judgment behind it.
What Is a Go-Around?
A go-around is a maneuver that transitions the aircraft from an approach-to-land configuration — low altitude, low airspeed, high drag, and reduced power — back to a climbing configuration suitable for rejoining the traffic pattern or executing a missed approach procedure. It is emphatically a normal maneuver, not an emergency. Airlines, charter operators, and military aviators treat go-arounds as a routine part of every approach briefing. The commercial pilot candidate must internalize this mindset: an unnecessary go-around costs a few minutes; a continued bad approach can cost lives.
How the Maneuver Works: Power, Attitude, Drag
The AFH describes the go-around sequence in three overlapping phases that must be initiated simultaneously rather than strictly sequentially. Understanding the aerodynamic reason for each step is essential for both the practical test and for real-world execution.
Step 1 — Power: Immediate and Full
The instant the go-around decision is made, full takeoff power (or the maximum power authorized for the maneuver on turbocharged or turbine aircraft) must be applied without hesitation. Every fraction of a second of delay allows the aircraft to sink closer to the ground while still configured for landing. On a piston single, this means smoothly but firmly advancing the throttle to the forward stop. On a complex aircraft with a constant-speed propeller, the propeller control should also be moved to the full-forward (high RPM) position simultaneously, because thrust is a function of both manifold pressure and propeller speed. Any delay in prop advance wastes available thrust at the most critical moment.
Step 2 — Attitude: Arrest the Descent and Establish a Climb
Simultaneously with power application, the pilot must establish a positive climb attitude. This does not mean rotating aggressively; it means arresting any rate of descent and transitioning smoothly to a pitch attitude that will produce an acceleration toward the recommended go-around climb speed. The AFH notes that with flaps extended, the best climb performance is typically achieved at a slightly lower pitch attitude than a clean-configuration climb, because the flaps increase induced drag significantly. The goal is to stop sinking first, then to climb. Attempting to pitch up steeply before airspeed is sufficient can result in a stall, particularly with a full flap configuration. Reference the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) for the specific aircraft's recommended go-around airspeed and attitude — values vary by type.
Step 3 — Drag: Progressive Configuration Change
Once the aircraft is no longer descending and power is confirmed at the required setting, drag reduction begins. The AFH is unambiguous: flaps must be retracted in increments, not all at once. At low altitude and low airspeed, retracting from, say, 40° directly to 0° causes a sudden, large decrease in lift that can drive the aircraft back into the ground before engine power can compensate. The correct technique is to retract to an intermediate setting (often 20° or the position recommended in the POH), confirm a positive climb, then continue retracting as airspeed increases and the aircraft climbs away from the terrain. Landing gear is retracted only after a positive rate of climb is confirmed — visually on the VSI and, on some aircraft, by feel. On certain low-wing designs, premature gear retraction can result in gear doors or the gear itself contacting the runway surface.
Stabilized Approach Criteria: The Primary Go-Around Trigger
The concept of the stabilized approach provides a structured, objective framework for the go-around decision. A stabilized approach means the aircraft is simultaneously: on the correct lateral and vertical flight path, at the target approach airspeed within an acceptable tolerance (typically ±5 knots for commercial operations), in the correct landing configuration, with a stable and appropriate power setting, and on a normal descent rate. These conditions must be met by a defined gate altitude — commonly 500 feet AGL in VMC and 1,000 feet AGL in IMC. If any single criterion is not satisfied at the gate, the go-around must be initiated immediately. There is no correcting a bad approach below the gate; the altitude, time, and energy margin to do so safely no longer exist.
The AFH and the FAA's Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2) both identify continuation of an unstabilized approach as a classic example of hazardous attitudes — specifically press-on-itis (a variant of the impulsivity or invulnerability hazardous attitudes catalogued in the Risk Management Handbook) combined with a sunk-cost bias toward completing the landing. Recognizing this cognitive trap is as important as knowing the mechanical steps of the maneuver.
Other Triggers for a Rejected Landing
- Runway not clear: A vehicle, aircraft, or person on the runway requires an immediate go-around regardless of approach quality. Never assume they will clear in time.
- ATC instruction: A go-around instruction from tower is mandatory and must be acknowledged and executed immediately.
- Ballooned or bounced landing: If the aircraft balloons significantly in the flare, the energy state may be too low to safely execute a normal landing. The AFH distinguishes between a mild balloon (correct with slight back-pressure reduction and patience) and a severe balloon (go around). A bounce that results in a high nose attitude and decaying airspeed is always a go-around situation.
- Wind shear or gusty conditions: A sudden headwind-to-tailwind shear on short final dramatically reduces indicated airspeed and lift. If the aircraft cannot be stabilized within the remaining altitude, go around.
- Directional control issues: Crosswind beyond the aircraft's demonstrated crosswind component, or any loss of directional control during the flare, warrants a go-around.
Left-Turning Tendencies and Rudder Discipline
Applying full takeoff power in a piston aircraft during a go-around introduces four simultaneous left-turning tendencies: torque reaction, gyroscopic precession, asymmetric (P-factor) thrust, and spiraling slipstream effect. These forces are strongest at high power and low airspeed — exactly the conditions of a go-around. Aggressive and coordinated right rudder must be applied promptly to maintain runway centerline or the desired climb heading. Failure to anticipate this input is a common cause of heading deviations during the go-around, and it is a specific point of evaluation on the commercial ACS. Trim is also critically important: a properly trimmed aircraft in cruise or approach requires significant nose-down trim that must be relieved as the aircraft accelerates in the climb to prevent excessive control forces.
Key Numbers and Rules
- Stabilized approach gate: 500 ft AGL VMC / 1,000 ft AGL IMC (standard commercial criteria)
- Flap retraction: incremental — never full retraction in a single input at low altitude
- Gear retraction: only after positive rate of climb confirmed
- Power: full takeoff power immediately — no partial applications
- Propeller: advance to high RPM simultaneously with throttle on constant-speed installations
- Trim: relieve back-pressure forces as airspeed increases in the climb
Common Test Traps
- Retracting all flaps at once near the ground: The AFH explicitly warns this can cause the aircraft to settle back onto the runway. Always retract in stages.
- Raising the gear before confirming a positive rate: On some aircraft designs, premature gear retraction risks contact with the runway surface.
- Delaying the go-around decision to avoid inconvenience: The commercial ACS consistently tests the principle that a go-around is always the correct choice when a safe landing cannot be assured. The decision must be made early — attempting to salvage a bad approach below the gate is the wrong answer.
- Ignoring rudder requirements: Test scenarios and practical tests specifically probe whether the applicant understands and compensates for left-turning tendencies during the power application phase.
- Confusing go-around with missed approach: A go-around is initiated from a visual approach in VFR conditions; a missed approach is the instrument equivalent, executed per a published procedure. The aerodynamic principles overlap, but the ATC communication and procedural requirements differ significantly.
Memory Aid
Many commercial instructors teach the sequence using PAD — Power, Attitude, Drag: apply Power immediately, establish the Attitude for climb, then reduce Drag progressively. While PAD is an informal instructional mnemonic rather than an official FAA designation, it maps directly onto the procedure described in the AFH and is an effective way to recall the priority order under pressure.