Takeoff / Go Around (TOGA)

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 44 total)

  • Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    Morning,

    I just had a Go Around at Heathrow today and realised it was only my second time. It got me wondering how common it is, or isn’t.

    How often has it happened to you?


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    For those interested from inside the flight deck..

    I can recall only a couple of times over the years at Heathrow having to go around.. the skill of the London ATC, usually avoids the need..

    Aborted take offs have been more frequent though..


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    This was turbulence from an aircraft in front. We weren’t told if it was an A380.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    It happens fairly frequently, but many travellers will never experience one.

    I’ve experienced ~10 over 40 years of flying, plus three when flying myself in light aircraft (one instructed by ATC to make way for a turboprop following, a horse loose on the runway and an aircraft taking off unnanounced, from a 90 degree oriented taxiway, in front of me on very short final).

    As the aircraft is accelerating from its final approach speed (pilots call it Vref) and is usually quite light (having burned fuel enroute) the acceleration and pitch up is noticeable, isn’t it?

    Martyn has linked a heavy go around, here is what it looks like in a light aircraft (watch from ~1 minute)


    canucklad
    Participant

    I’ve experienced it quite a few times and usually it’s down to cross winds.
    EDI is apparently well-known for it. And it’s happened a couple of times there
    On one memorable occasion I was sitting next to Lord Robertson, the ex NATO chap. Even though we predicted that we would probably have to go around it was still a bit of a pit in your stomach moment when the thrust was applied.
    He recounted how his aircraft used to land at Sarajevo during the conflict. If memory served me right,he used the word “plunge” to avoid hostile attention.

    The other memorable one was at Gatwick the week the Brighton Pier blew down. And ironically,it wasn’t the weather, more than faulty flaps. Eventually a fast and hard return to terra firma .


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    I’ve experienced 3 that I remember. 1 in a Cessna 172 while learning to fly and two on commercial airlines.
    One of those was with a Swissair 747 at the old Kai Tak airport coming in over the sea, which was quite spectacular as we headed back up over the flats and towards the mountains.

    the second was quite amusing. Coming in on a Nigerian Airways DC10 into Port Harcourt, we were maybe 5 seconds from touchdown when full power and up we went again. A very British pilot informed us that the some centre lights were not working and we’d hold for 10 minutes while it was investigated.

    Turned out one of the villagers from the huts near the airport perimeter had fallen asleep, drunk, and covered some of the lights. Body removed we then made a normal landing!


    MrMichael
    Participant

    Three for me, One as LP at Kai Tak but from the other direction on a BCal DC10, one on IB going in to Funchal (wind shear)and lastly again on IB going in to MAD where the previous aircraft (AA) had failed to clear the runway.


    GivingupBA
    Participant

    Only once for me in 44 years of flying. Pre-dawn landing at LHR on Cathay Pacific, the captain said “routine go around, don’t worry folks the plane which landed just in front of us wasn’t quick enough getting off the runway.”


    SouthernOcean
    Participant

    3 in 30+ years of flying. All at LHR. Twice because the previous flight had not cleared the runway. Once because of an unspecified “minor technical problem”. On the 2nd and successful attempt fire-engines were positioned at intervals to one side of the runway.


    Switzerlanding
    Participant

    Just 2 from well over 1000. 1st into LHR with Czech Airlines when the aircraft in front didn’t vacate quick enough then just a couple of months ago into GVA with Brussels Airlines, only a few meters from touchdown then full power. Apparently the tailwind increased over maximum permitted level.


    Bath_VIP
    Participant

    I’ve experienced quite a few in my life. For some reason JFK was prone to this.

    The most amusing one occurred when landing at Newcastle in a Dan Air BAe 146. For some reason, the cabin crew had been slow in serving dinner and they were still clearing the trays as we approached the airport so the pilot just did an overfly of the airport as the crew dashed around with plastic bags to throw the trays in.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=762561]I’ve experienced quite a few in my life. For some reason JFK was prone to this.

    The most amusing one occurred when landing at Newcastle in a Dan Air BAe 146. For some reason, the cabin crew had been slow in serving dinner and they were still clearing the trays as we approached the airport so the pilot just did an overfly of the airport as the crew dashed around with plastic bags to throw the trays in.

    [/quote]

    Bath VIP, a very common reason for a go around is the aircraft that landed ahead not clearing the runway in time – at busy airports like JFK, this happens quie frequently – Martyn Sinclair’s posted video shows this happening.

    My last go around was at Heathrow, for the same reasons that you encountered at Newcastle – the cabin was not secure and I nearly missed an onward connection through this.


    Eurocity
    Participant

    None in my first ~300 flights, but several in the second 300.
    First was in Moscow SVO on Avianova (captain said the previous aircraft failed to leave the runway quickly). Second in Gibraltar on Monarch due to high winds (diverted to Malaga, delivered to Gibraltar by bus). Then there were at least three go arounds on a single flight – AirAsia to Tacloban (after two or three failed attempts the flight diverted to Cebu, landed there, took off again some 40 minutes later, made another go around at Tacloban, but actually landed there during the next attempt).


    mroo_ywg
    Participant

    Only had two go arounds, both at Entebbe (EBB). The first during the rainy season, arriving from Johannesburg on an SAA A319. The reason for the go around, was not rain, or change in wind direction (Happens frequently at EBB), but due to swarms of insects. A few seconds from touch down, the throttle went to full power, and up went the wheels and flaps. The captain came on shortly after to inform us that the aircraft had flown into a swarm of locusts, and they had been temporarily blinded. The go around was to ensure they could clear the wind shield before a second landing attempt. On disembarking the incident was evident on the nose of the aircraft, which was covered with some very unlucky insects. The second was again on SAA from JNB, but this time a slow aircraft failing to clear the runway, meaning we failed to make the short landing from the south, and instead had to fly around and land from the north.

    Same airport, aborted takeoff, this time on KQ, as the pilots had neglected to set the flaps correctly for takeoff.


    TominScotland
    Participant

    One stands out in my memory. KLM into Hong Kong on a 747 in the midst of a storm. Two attempted approaches, the second almost down and then pulled up again and diverted to Taipei and an overnight there. Lucky we were carrying enough fuel…..

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