The Go-Around, the Balloon That Has No Good Ending, and the Decision Gate You Have to Set Before You Cross the Threshold

A go-around is a rejected landing - the decision to abandon an approach and fly the pattern again. It is not a failure. It is a demonstration of good judgment, and the NTSB accident record makes clear that failing to execute one when warranted is among the most common factors in runway excursions, prop strikes, and gear collapses in general aviation. The decision window always exists, but it closes fast.

Why Do Pilots Skip the Go-Around When They Shouldn’t?

Three psychological traps cause pilots to continue bad approaches.

Commitment bias is the most powerful. Once established on final, the brain is mentally already on the ground. Abandoning a plan already in motion requires active, deliberate effort to override.

The optimism trap follows closely. “I can fix this.” “A little back pressure and we’re fine.” Pilots are problem-solvers by nature, but the variables on a deteriorating final approach move too fast and the margins are too small. By the time the situation is fully diagnosed, the threshold is already behind you.

Pride is the third factor, especially for students. No one on frequency is judging a go-around. Controllers appreciate a clean, well-executed go-around - it generates far less work than a runway incursion or an overrun. Any instructor who makes a student feel embarrassed for making a timely go-around needs to reconsider their teaching approach.

What Is the Stabilized Approach Concept and Why Does It Matter?

The stabilized approach concept gives pilots a defined decision gate so the go-around choice is made before it becomes difficult. Professional airline and charter crews apply it on every approach. General aviation pilots learn it for the checkride and often stop applying it afterward.

The rule: by 500 feet AGL in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), all of the following criteria must be met simultaneously.

Airspeed. Within approximately five knots of your target. In the Cessna 172, that target is typically 65 knots. Being fast is a problem. Being slow is a more serious problem. Varying widely between the two is the worst condition of all.

Glidepath. On or very close to the intended glidepath at a consistent descent rate. On a four-box PAPI, the correct indication is two white lights and two red lights. All four red means too low. All four white means too high.

Configuration. Flaps in the landing configuration. Landing checklist complete before the 500-foot gate.

Power. A settled, consistent power setting holding speed and descent rate together - not chasing the throttle to catch up to a changing situation.

Heading. Tracking centerline. Large lateral corrections at 500 feet mean the approach is not stabilized.

If any single criterion is not met by 500 feet AGL, go around. Not “try to fix it.” Not “give it a few more seconds.” Go around. The troubleshooting window is between 1,500 feet and 500 feet. At 500 feet, the only two correct options are executing a good approach or executing a go-around.

How Do You Execute a Go-Around? (Step-by-Step)

The following sequence applies to most piston singles. The Cessna 172 is used as the reference aircraft.

Step 1 - Decision and callout. The moment the decision is made, say it out loud: “Going around.” At a towered airport, transmit your call sign and “going around” to tower. At an uncontrolled field, announce on the CTAF. Brief this radio call before the approach so it doesn’t get dropped under workload.

Step 2 - Full power. Bring the throttle smoothly but firmly to the full forward position. This is a deliberate, positive movement - not a gentle creep. On carbureted engines, carb heat comes off before or simultaneously with power application. Carb heat is not used during climb-out.

Step 3 - Establish climb attitude. Anticipate left-rolling torque with right rudder. Establish the climb attitude from best-rate-of-climb training - in the 172, approximately 10 degrees nose-up. Transition deliberately from descent to stable climb without zooming.

Step 4 - Confirm positive rate of climb. Verify a positive indication on the vertical speed indicator. Cross-check the altimeter as secondary confirmation. The aircraft is not climbing until the instruments confirm it.

Step 5 - Incremental flap retraction. Reduce from full flaps to an intermediate setting - typically 10 degrees - once a positive rate of climb and a safe airspeed are established. Retract fully as the airspeed builds to best-rate-of-climb speed. Do not pull all flaps up at once. Each increment of flap removed reduces lift. Retracting everything simultaneously at low airspeed can cause the airplane to settle back toward the ground before it has built enough speed to compensate for the lost lift. This is the mechanism behind many go-around accidents.

Step 6 - Re-enter the pattern. At an uncontrolled field, fly the crosswind leg at pattern altitude. At a towered airport, comply with controller instructions - they may assign runway heading and a specific altitude before allowing turns.

What Are the Most Common Go-Around Mistakes?

Waiting too long. A go-around committed at 500 feet is easy. A go-around committed at 20 feet after a bounce is genuinely difficult. The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) tests go-arounds from final approach specifically because that is where the decision belongs.

Tentative power application. The engine is warm from approach power. Apply full throttle decisively. Slow creeping on the throttle costs altitude and airspeed at the worst possible time.

Over-rotation. When power comes in, the nose pitches up. Allowing it to rise too high creates a slow, high-angle-of-attack condition with full flaps and insufficient airspeed. Hold the established climb attitude.

All-flaps retraction after a bounce. After touching and bouncing, the aircraft is essentially at ground level. Establish the go-around procedure and achieve a positive rate of climb before managing flaps - they are generating needed lift in that moment.

Forgetting the radio call. It happens. Brief the radio call as an immediate-action item so it doesn’t get lost in the workload of managing power, pitch, and configuration simultaneously.

What Does an Examiner Look for on the Checkride?

Timely decision. This is the primary item. The examiner wants to see that the pilot is ahead of the airplane - recognizing the need for a go-around before the situation deteriorates, not reacting after it already has.

Correct configuration throughout. Full power applied, appropriate pitch attitude established, incremental flap retraction, positive rate of climb confirmed before any configuration change.

Coordination. Uncoordinated flight during a go-around is one of the most common debrief items. The sudden power change and rapid configuration sequence create high workload. Keep the ball centered throughout.

Accurate flight. The ACS has standards for bank angles close to the ground and for maintaining appropriate airspeeds during the climb-out. Fly the airplane precisely even while managing everything else.

An unnecessary go-around from a perfectly acceptable approach is a minor event. A continued unstabilized approach is a genuine examiner concern. When something is off and the pilot goes around, the examiner is most likely nodding.

How to Apply This Before Your Next Flight

Brief your criteria out loud before you get in the airplane. Say: “I will go around if I am not stabilized by 500 feet AGL. I will go around after any bounce.” Pre-briefed decisions get made correctly under pressure far more often than decisions made for the first time at low altitude in a deteriorating situation.

Use 500 feet as an explicit checkpoint on every approach. Airspeed in range? On glidepath? Configuration complete? Tracking centerline? Any answer of “no” means going around - immediately.

Carry the go-around mindset past the checkride. Without an instructor in the right seat, the temptation to let the standard slide is real. The runway is not going anywhere. There will always be another approach. The pilot who goes around early and lands cleanly on the second attempt is making a better decision than the one who forced a bad approach and got lucky.

The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook includes a full chapter on go-arounds and rejected landings, available free on the FAA website.

Key Takeaways

• A go-around is always available until the aircraft is stopped - but the decision window closes fast; acting at 500 feet is far easier than acting after a bounce
• The stabilized approach gate at 500 feet AGL covers five criteria: airspeed, glidepath, configuration, power, and heading - all must be met, or go around
• Apply full throttle decisively, anticipate torque with right rudder, and retract flaps incrementally - not all at once - to prevent settling back onto the runway
• Commitment bias, the optimism trap, and pride are the three reasons pilots don’t go around when they should; recognizing them is the first step to overcoming them
• Brief your go-around criteria before every flight - pre-briefed decisions execute correctly under pressure; in-cockpit decisions at 20 feet often don’t