The Bounced Landing, the Two-Second Decision Window, and the Go-Around That Students Talk Themselves Out Of

A bounced landing puts you back in the air with reduced airspeed and shrinking runway. The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) is unambiguous: execute a go-around immediately, regardless of the height of the bounce. The pilot who internalizes that decision before the approach ever begins is the one who handles it correctly when it happens.

What Actually Causes a Bounced Landing?

Most bounces trace back to one of three causes. The first is a flare that starts too high - at six or eight feet, the airplane floats while the pilot waits. When the wheels finally contact the runway, residual energy transfers back into the wings and the airplane becomes airborne again.

The second cause is a flat approach with insufficient pitch attitude in the flare. The main gear hits hard, the gear compresses, then springs back. If enough airspeed remains, that energy becomes lift.

The third - and most serious - is porpoising, where the nose gear strikes first. The airplane pitches nose-up, the mains hit, and the cycle begins oscillating. Each cycle can amplify the loads. This is a different problem from a simple bounce and is covered separately below.

Why Is the Go-Around Almost Always the Right Call?

The instinct after a bounce is to get the airplane back on the ground. The runway is visible, the landing was nearly complete, and the hand moves aft on the yoke to settle the airplane back down.

That instinct is almost always wrong.

A bounced airplane is briefly flying with reduced airspeed - sometimes significantly below normal approach speed, sometimes approaching stall speed. Holding the nose level or pushing forward to force the airplane back onto the runway means flying a slow aircraft at very low altitude with no margin for error. Any gust or distraction in that condition is potentially unrecoverable.

A go-around, by contrast, is a controlled, practiced maneuver with a predictable outcome. The airplane is designed for it. The pilot has trained for it. Trying to salvage a bounced landing is improvised problem-solving at the worst possible altitude. The accident record reflects this distinction clearly.

What Does the FAA Say About Bounced Landings?

The PHAK’s language on this is precise and intentional. It states that if a bounced landing occurs, the pilot should execute a go-around immediately, regardless of the height of the bounce.

Not “consider a go-around.” Not “evaluate whether conditions warrant a go-around.” Execute one. Immediately.

That language is strong because the alternative - attempting to re-land a slow, already-disturbed airplane - carries risks that compound rapidly with time. The go-around window is real, and it is short.

How Long Is the Two-Second Decision Window?

The moment the airplane leaves the runway in a bounce, a window opens. During that window, the airplane still has airspeed, runway remains ahead, and full power will produce a positive climb gradient before the pavement runs out. Every second of hesitation narrows that window. Airspeed bleeds off. Usable runway moves behind you. Even the go-around becomes harder.

This is precisely why the PHAK says immediately - not because urgency is preferred, but because time is the only resource that cannot be recovered.

What Does a Proper Go-Around from a Bounce Look Like?

The sequence is the same as any go-around, but speed of execution matters.

Full power comes first, smoothly but without hesitation. In most trainers, that means full throttle forward. Simultaneously, establish a positive climb attitude - approximately 10 degrees nose-up in a Cessna 172. The goal is to arrest the descent and initiate a climb.

Flaps come up incrementally. Going from full flaps to zero all at once removes lift before the climb is established. Reduce to the first retraction notch, confirm a positive rate of climb, then continue retracting in stages.

Trim - the airplane will want to nose over as power comes in. Maintain control pressure and trim as the climb stabilizes. The airplane will not trim itself correctly during a go-around from a bounce.

Airspeed targets should be reflexive: best angle of climb (Vx) if obstacles are present, best rate of climb (Vy) with clear air ahead. These numbers should be as automatic as the aircraft’s tail number.

Radio and traffic awareness - once in a positive climb, make the go-around call on the common traffic advisory frequency if the field is uncontrolled. Other traffic in the pattern may not be expecting you to reenter the circuit.

What Is Porpoising and Why Is It More Dangerous?

Porpoising occurs when the nose gear strikes first, causing the airplane to pitch nose-up, followed by the mains, followed by the nose again - a repeating oscillation. Unlike a simple bounce that sends the airplane cleanly upward, porpoising can escalate with each cycle. The structural loads on the nose gear are significant.

The decision to go around in a porpoise situation is even more time-critical. There is often a momentary sense that the next cycle might be the last - that the airplane might finally settle. It almost never does.

The response is the same: full power, climb attitude, exit immediately. One additional consideration applies after landing: if the nose gear absorbed repeated hard impacts during a severe porpoise, have the aircraft inspected before the next flight. That is not overcaution - it is standard maintenance practice.

How Do Runway Length and Conditions Change Your Options?

Not every bounce carries the same margin. A small bounce on a long runway in calm wind gives comfortable room to execute a go-around and get organized. A hard bounce on a short runway with a crosswind and obstacles off the departure end demands immediate, precise execution.

The go-around guidance applies equally to both. What changes is your margin for error - and that margin should already be calculated before the approach begins.

Before every approach, particularly at shorter or unfamiliar fields, brief the go-around explicitly: Where is the departure end? What are the obstacles? What is the density altitude, and how does it affect climb performance? What is the aircraft’s weight? These are not questions to answer during a bounce. They are questions answered during the pre-landing briefing, so that execution in the moment is automatic rather than deliberate.

How Should You Handle a Crosswind Bounce?

A crosswind landing already involves drift management. If the airplane bounces in a crosswind, drift can accelerate - the aircraft may end up airborne and displaced laterally from runway centerline simultaneously.

The go-around call is identical, but control inputs must account for the drift immediately. Add full power, establish climb attitude, and simultaneously use rudder and aileron to align with the runway centerline and stop the lateral movement. Allowing drift to continue while sorting out power and pitch is not an option at low altitude.

This is why consistent crosswind practice matters. Pilots who have trained crosswind landings to proficiency have also developed familiarity with what happens when those landings go wrong. The muscle memory is available under pressure. Pilots who have trained primarily in calm conditions are improvising at the worst possible moment.

What Does the ACS Require for Go-Arounds?

The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for the private pilot certificate require the applicant to recognize when a go-around is necessary and initiate it promptly. The specific requirements include: applying takeoff power immediately, establishing the proper pitch attitude, configuring the aircraft correctly, and maintaining appropriate airspeeds throughout the maneuver.

An examiner watching a bounced landing is not looking for a perfect first touchdown. They are looking for a pilot who recognizes when continuing a landing is the wrong choice - and who executes the recovery cleanly. A well-executed go-around from a bounced landing during a checkride will not fail you. A bounced landing that escalates into a porpoise because the pilot tried to force the airplane down might.

The go-around is not a backup plan. It is part of the plan. For student pilots who feel as though a go-around represents failure, this reframe is essential: the pilot who executes a clean go-around from a bad bounce has demonstrated correct judgment inside a two-second window with a moving aircraft. That is exactly what airmanship looks like.

Key Takeaways

• A bounced airplane is briefly flying with reduced airspeed - attempting to force it back onto the runway means flying a slow aircraft at low altitude with no margin
• The PHAK says execute a go-around immediately, regardless of the height of the bounce - the window to act safely is genuinely short
• The proper sequence: full power → positive climb attitude → incremental flap retraction → trim → airspeed targets → radio call
• Porpoising is more serious than a simple bounce and more time-critical - full power and exit immediately; inspect the nose gear after any severe porpoise sequence
• Brief your go-around before every approach, especially at short or unfamiliar fields - decision speed in the moment depends on decisions already made in the briefing