Bizav Pilots Share Tips for Safer Go-Arounds

Pilots who are running out of runway (and ideas at the same time) had better be prepared to go around.

There are two types of go-arounds, according to Keith Wolzinger, a captain with Paragon Airways. The first is go-arounds initiated by ATC due to traffic conflict, loss of separation or disabled aircraft on the runway. The second type is crew-initiated go-arounds due to an unstabilized approach because of windshear, loss of separation, a missed approach or a traffic advisory issued from Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) traffic advisories (TA) and resolution advisories (RA).

“We train for go-arounds in the simulator and are very comfortable performing them as per our checklists, the aircraft flight manual [AFM] and company manual procedure,” said Wolzinger. “They are performed on every checkride.”

In the real world, pilots usually can anticipate a landing; a go-around may be a surprise, said Brian Waters, CAE Global Program lead – Bombardier Global 6500/7500. “Which is why training in part with the unexpectedness of an unplanned missed approach can help maintain that edge of staying ahead of the aircraft. Through scenario-based training, these types of events can be incorporated and leveraged to provide a better way to prepare pilots for the unforeseen.”

“In the real world, a go-around is a more nuanced maneuver, as dictated by the circumstances,” said Wolzinger. “A maximum effort go-around to a low-altitude level-off is a rather exciting maneuver and can be disconcerting to our passengers. If we begin a go-around from 1,000 feet AFL (above field level) and we are assigned to maintain 2,000 feet AFL, this can happen very quickly.”

Pilots brief for both an ATC-initiated go-around and a crew-initiated maneuver known as a ‘soft go-around’ because it doesn’t require full power. Instead, the pilot adds enough power to arrest the descent, then cleans up the airplane, per the checklist, during climb out.

“‘Soft go-arounds’ are the most common in my experience,” said Part 135 Subcommittee Co-Chair Ben van Niekerk of the NBAA Domestic Operations Committee. Van Niekerk recommends these maneuvers be “practiced as often as allowed.”

Pilots, who are executing a “normal” go-around at 500 feet AGL (above ground level), for example, “can get overwhelmed very quickly,” van Niekerk said. “If your approach Vref is 110 knots, and level-off altitude is 2,000 feet, in a jet you are going to (a) reach that altitude very quickly, and (b) risk over-speeding your flaps at the same time, so executing your normal TOGA [takeoff and go-around] thrust go-arounds with excessive pitch might be riskier than discontinuing the approach and executing a ‘soft go-around.’ I specifically enjoy teaching these more realistic scenarios in the aircraft.”

Go-arounds should always happen when the pilot gets behind the airplane, said van Niekerk. “One small example would be that a faster-than-normal approach speed could lead to an incorrect assessment of the landing distance available,” he said. “Crossing the threshold 10% faster can increase the landing distance by 20%. This can easily mean up to a 1,400 foot reduction in [landing distance available] that you did not plan on.” As a reference, van Niekerk mentioned helpful materials offered by the Flight Safety Foundation regarding approach and landing accident reduction.

Review NBAA safety resources for pilots at nbaa.org/runway-safety.