Go-around decision making - the save you practice but rarely fly

The go-around is one of the most practiced maneuvers in flight training, yet pilots remain statistically reluctant to execute it when it actually matters. The NTSB has investigated hundreds of accidents—runway overruns, loss of control on final, obstacle collisions—where a timely go-around would have changed the outcome. In nearly every case, the pilot had the skill to fly the maneuver. What they lacked was a decision-making framework to act without hesitation.

Why Do Pilots Hesitate to Go Around?

There is a well-documented psychological phenomenon called plan continuation bias. Once a pilot has committed to a landing—configured the airplane, made radio calls, established visual contact with the runway—the brain actively resists changing course. Ten minutes of planning and setup create a powerful mental momentum toward landing.

This bias is compounded by a persistent cultural stigma: the idea that a go-around represents failure. It does not. A go-around is one of the most professional decisions a pilot can make. The word “just”—as in “I’ll just slip it in” or “I’ll just make it work”—is one of the most dangerous words in aviation. That impulse to salvage an unstable approach has put pilots in the ground.

When Should You Go Around?

The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for the private pilot certificate list the go-around as a required task. Examiners evaluate not just execution but the ability to recognize the need promptly—not after deliberation.

Build a personal go-around criteria list before you fly. Here is a strong starting framework:

1. You are not stabilized by 500 feet AGL. That means on speed, on glidepath, configured for landing, and the runway is made. If any element is missing at 500 feet, go around.
2. The runway environment is compromised. A vehicle, animal, another aircraft, or any obstruction in your landing zone means go around.
3. The wind exceeds your personal minimums. If you’re a student pilot cleared for 10 knots of crosswind and the windsock shows 15, go around.
4. Something doesn’t feel right. That gut instinct is your brain processing information faster than your conscious mind can articulate. Trust it.

The key is pre-commitment. Before turning base, say out loud: “I will go around if anything is not right.” Make the decision before you need to make it. When the moment comes, you are executing, not deciding.

How to Fly the Go-Around Without Making It Worse

A botched go-around can be just as dangerous as a botched landing. The mechanics matter, and sequencing is critical.

Power first. Full throttle, smoothly but assertively. In a Cessna 172, that means the throttle goes all the way in. Expect left-turning tendencies from torque and P-factor. Apply right rudder. Stay coordinated.

Pitch to climb attitude. You were nose-low and descending. Transition to approximately 7 to 10 degrees nose up in most trainers. Confirm a positive rate of climb on the VSI and altimeter.

Retract flaps incrementally. This is where pilots get into trouble. If full flaps are in, do not retract them all at once. You will lose lift faster than you gain speed, risking a settle onto the runway or terrain. Retract one notch at a time: full to 20 degrees, confirm positive climb, then to 10 degrees, confirm again, then clean. Adjust pitch slightly with each configuration change.

Carb heat to cold (if applicable). You need full engine performance immediately.

Then fly the traffic pattern. Climb out, make your crosswind turn at the appropriate altitude, come back around, and try again.

How to Brief the Go-Around on Cross-Country Flights

This is the element most training programs skip. The go-around should be part of every arrival briefing at an unfamiliar airport. Before starting your descent, answer these questions:

• What is the traffic pattern altitude and direction? If you go around, you need to know where you’re going.
• Is there rising terrain on the departure end? Obstacles that are irrelevant during landing become critical when you’re climbing out at full power from 200 feet AGL.
• What is your go-around altitude target?
• What are the winds doing right now? Not what the forecast said three hours ago.
• Do you have fuel for multiple approaches? If not, reconsider whether that airport is the right choice today.

Consider this training scenario: a field in a valley, 4,200-foot runway at 2,000 feet elevation, trees on the approach end, rising terrain on the departure end. Weather is reporting a broken ceiling at 2,500 feet AGL, winds 150 at 12 gusting 20. This is technically a legal VFR flight. But the go-around in that environment is a complex maneuver—climb, turn, avoid terrain, stay below the clouds, manage a gusty crosswind—all while your heart rate is elevated because something just went wrong.

If you briefed it on the ground—“I’ll climb runway heading to 1,500 feet AGL, then turn left toward the valley opening where the terrain drops away”—it becomes executing a plan rather than improvising under stress.

The Go-Around-First Mindset

Some flight schools now teach a concept called the go-around-first mindset. Instead of approaching with the intention to land and making an active decision to abort, you approach with the assumption that you will go around and only land if everything is right.

It is a subtle mental shift, but it reverses the default. Landing becomes the active decision rather than the go-around. This directly counteracts plan continuation bias.

The FAA’s advisory circular on stabilized approaches and go-arounds reinforces this with data: a significant percentage of approach and landing accidents could have been prevented by a timely go-around.

Go-Arounds at Busy Non-Towered Airports

At a busy non-towered field on a Saturday morning, you are on a two-mile final and hear someone announce a departure on your landing runway. You can see them starting the takeoff roll. Will they be clear before you arrive? Probably. But maybe not.

Go around. Announce it on CTAF: “[Callsign], going around, runway two-seven.” Fly the pattern. The three minutes lost are insignificant compared to the risk of playing timing games with a departing aircraft.

Key Takeaways

• A go-around is a sign of professional judgment, not failure. Every instructor respects one.
• Pre-commit to your go-around criteria before turning base. Decide before you need to decide.
• Retract flaps incrementally during the go-around—never all at once.
• Brief the go-around as part of every arrival, especially at unfamiliar airports with terrain or weather considerations.
• Adopt the go-around-first mindset: every approach is a go-around until you decide conditions are right to land.
• Practice the maneuver regularly. On your next flight, execute a full-stop landing, then take off and practice a go-around from short final. Build muscle memory so that when the day comes, you act without hesitation.