Why do pilots abort landings?

Go-Around Triggers and Safety Reasons

Understanding why do pilots abort landings helps passengers recognize standard aviation safety protocols. Pilots routinely discontinue approaches when safety conditions require a safer alternative.

Understanding the Go-Around: Why Pilots Choose to Abort Landings

Aborting a landing can be related to multiple different factors depending on the specific flight context, meaning it is rarely down to a single issue. An aborted landing - which is known as a go-around by pilots - can happen for a number of reasons such as bad weather, a blocked runway or an unstabilised approach. Go-arounds are very safe manoeuvres which are regularly practiced by pilots in the simulator.

Industry data indicates that go-arounds occur at an average rate of 1 to 3 per 1,000 approaches. This means that for a massive aviation hub managing hundreds of arrivals daily, a go-around happens almost every single day.

I remember my first time executing one as a commercial flight officer on a stormy evening; my hands gripped the controls tightly as the runway lights disappeared into a wall of fog. The sudden transition back into a climb was intense, but the exhaustive simulator training kicked in instantly. The decision to climb back into the sky is never an admission of failure - it is the absolute baseline of disciplined flight safety.

The Primary Reasons Behind an Aborted Landing

Unstabilised Approaches and the Gate of Safety

A primary reason pilots choose to go around is an unstabilised approach. This occurs when an aircraft fails to maintain its target speed, descent rate, or vertical path alignment during the final descent. Airlines strictly enforce stabilization criteria that must be perfectly met before the plane drops past a certain altitude gate - typically 1,000 feet in poor visibility or 500 feet in clear skies.

If a plane is flying too fast or descending too rapidly, the landing must be legally aborted to prevent a hazardous touchdown. Yet, surprisingly, historical safety reviews show that only about 3 to 5 percent of unstabilised approaches actually end in a go-around.

This low percentage reflects plan continuation bias, a dangerous cognitive tendency where flight crews push through with a landing they have committed to despite mounting warning signs. I have faced this internal pressure myself during my early career, trying to desperately correct a high approach instead of just aborting. It took a firm realization that resetting the flight path is always smarter than forcing a bad touchdown.

Environmental Challenges and Air Traffic Control Commands

Severe environmental elements often make landing completely impossible. Sudden wind shear, microbursts, or thick low-level fog can instantly obscure the runway environment. If the flight crew cannot establish visual contact with the runway markings at the designated decision height, they will immediately abandon the landing. Additionally, air traffic control can command a go-around at the last second if a preceding aircraft is slow to vacate the runway or if a support vehicle accidentally crosses the line.

What Happens in the Cockpit During a Go-Around?

The execution of an aborted landing is a highly synchronized ballet between the two pilots on the flight deck. The pilot flying presses the take-off/go-around switch - commonly abbreviated as TO/GA - while simultaneously advancing the thrust levers. This action instantly signals the aircraft autopilot and flight computers to command maximum climb power and guide the nose upward into a safe pitch attitude.

Rarely have I seen a flight deck procedure executed with such absolute focus. The physical and sensory sensations are remarkable - passengers in the cabin will feel a sudden push back into their seats as the engines spool up to a high-pitched roar and the aircraft tilts upward. It can feel incredibly dramatic, even frightening, to someone who does not know what is happening. But in the cockpit, it is pure routine. The flight crew is simply transitioning the aircraft back into a standard, controlled climb to join the local traffic pattern for another, much safer attempt.

Passenger Anxiety and the Reality of Aviation Safety

For passengers, the sudden roar of the engines and a steep climb just seconds before touching the ground can induce immediate anxiety. The lack of instant communication from the flight deck during the maneuver often worsens this fear, as pilots must prioritize flying the aircraft before talking to the cabin. However, passengers should understand that a go-around is the ultimate proof that the safety system is working exactly as it was designed to.

Global safety studies reveal that approximately 65 percent of commercial aviation accidents occur during the approach and landing phases of flight. Crucially, accident data suggests that up to 83 percent of those approach and landing accidents are completely avoidable if the crew simply initiates a go-around. By choosing to climb back up, your pilots are actively eliminating the risk of a hard landing or a runway excursion. Remember that an aborted landing means your pilots are choosing certainty over chance.

Safety Framework: Go-Around vs. Forcing an Unstable Landing

Executing a Go-Around

Briefly elevated but heavily structured with clear, scripted callouts

Can cause temporary anxiety due to sudden noise and climb sensations

Highly predictable, standard maneuver practiced extensively in simulator training

Adds roughly 10 to 15 minutes to total flight time for a new approach pattern

Forcing an Unstable Landing

Extremely high and disorganized as pilots struggle to correct multiple variables

Smooth initial approach but risks a violent touchdown or emergency stop

High risk of hard touchdowns, tail strikes, or dangerous runway excursions

Saves a few minutes if successful, but risks catastrophic delays if damage occurs

Flight Crew Realization Over a Congested Runway

A commercial flight crew was guiding a narrow-body aircraft down through a thick evening cloud layer, aiming for a busy international runway. The pilots were tired after a long multi-leg shift, and the captain was deeply committed to making a timely touchdown to keep the airline schedule on track.

As the aircraft dropped below 600 feet, a sudden shift in crosswinds pushed the airspeed well above the stabilized target, causing the descent rate to spike. The captain tried to manually adjust the thrust levers to force the plane back onto the glide path, but the aircraft was carrying too much forward momentum and floating past the normal touchdown zone markers.

The first officer noticed the critical deviation and felt a surge of adrenaline, realizing that continuing would result in a severe overrun. Overcoming the standard hesitation to challenge a senior captain, the first officer called out the unstable parameters clearly, breaking the captain out of a dangerous plan continuation bias.

The captain immediately abandoned the landing, pushed the thrust levers forward to engage maximum power, and initiated a textbook climb back into the safe air space. Within 12 minutes, the crew re-entered the traffic pattern, established a perfectly stable approach, and executed a completely uneventful landing.