Missed Approaches and Approach Failures

Fly it as though it will end in a missed approach — arriving at minimums expecting to go missed means you only cancel an already-briefed plan if the runway appears.

1) At DA/MDA/MAP you lack required flight visibility or a 91.175(c)(3) visual reference; 2) you cannot land from a normal descent using normal maneuvers; 3) anything else that says stop (ATC, lost nav, windshear/terrain warning, unstable approach, doubt).

With only the ALS in sight you may descend to 100 ft above TDZE, and no lower unless you see the red terminating bars / red side row bars or another 91.175(c)(3) reference.

Approach lights, threshold, threshold markings/lights, REIL, VASI/PAPI, touchdown zone, TDZ markings/lights, runway/runway markings/runway lights.

Fly, configure, navigate, talk — power and attitude first, then gear/flaps, then the published missed procedure, then tell ATC.

Cram (power), Climb, Clean, Cool (check engine/temps), Call.

Many missed approaches base obstacle clearance on a straight segment first — don't turn until the published altitude or published point.

The navigator suspends sequencing at the MAP so it won't fly past the runway; you must unsuspend so the box sequences into the missed approach segment instead of leaving the magenta line frozen.

Sets the flight director to a wings-level go-around pitch, decouples the autopilot on many installations, and switches the CDI from approach to missed-approach mode.

Fighting a still-engaged autopilot in approach mode that is trying to fly you back down to the glidepath; re-engage only when stable, climbing, clean, and above the autopilot's minimum engagement altitude (often 400 ft AGL).