As he prepared to land, the plane banked dramatically to the right. (Photo by Adriana/Adobe Stock)
The aborted landing of an aircraft is a safety measure taken as a last resort in the event that a landing on the runway is not possible. And the image of a jumbo jet taking off again into the sky is always spectacular.
In aviation, one speaks of a go-around to cause the final approach to be interrupted. The process consists of starting the engines to maximum speed so that the plane can take off again in the air.
What does go-around during landing mean?
Technically, this process takes place when the plane enters the landing phase on a runway and at the last moment the captain revs the engines to full speed to resume flight.
Several factors can cause the pilot to abort his final approach. In certain situations, particularly in the case of a traffic conflict with other aircraft on the ground, it is the control tower that will tell pilots to abort their landings.
In most cases it is the weather conditions that force the pilots to fly around. Crosswinds and lack of ground visibility are the most common conditions that can prevent aircraft from landing safely.
Once the process is initiated, the pilot completes a lap and returns with a new, safer approach. But if the bad conditions continue, he will head for another airport. The main concern is to ensure the safety of the aircraft and all of its occupants.
While scary for passengers, go-around is a very safe practice. Pilots, even the most experienced, resort to this procedure. In fact, aborted landing is part of airline pilot training programs.
Two spectacular aborted landings in bad weather
Ted Stevens, a planespotter who filmed planes landing and taking off on a runway at Anchorage International Airport in the United States, captured two spectacular last-minute takeoffs by two cargo planes. The two landings took place one after the other last Thursday, June 29th.
At the beginning of the sequence shared on Twitter, an imposing MD-11 manufactured by the American aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Douglas and operated by Fedex started a landing approach under extremely cloudy skies. There were also strong gusts on the route.
As he prepared to land, the plane banked dramatically to the right. The pilot at the controls immediately decided to abort the landing and turn around again, which amazed the observer.
Some time later, a huge Boeing 747 belonging to the cargo company Polar also tried its luck and landed on runway 15 of the same airport. The final approach of this jumbo jet was unstable, so the pilot behaved like his predecessor.
Just a few meters before landing, the wind got the better of the plane, which was moving in all directions. The pilot therefore decided at the last minute to abort the landing in order to be able to make a safer second attempt.
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