An official AAIB investigation into a high-performance single-engine aircraft illustrates how a go-around from a bounced landing can become a loss-of-control event when high power, low airspeed, pitch and yaw are not managed together.

What happened

After a bounce during a planned touch-and-go, the pilot applied full power to go around. The aircraft pitched up, approached the stall and yawed and rolled left. The turn developed close to the ground and the aircraft struck the surface. The investigation found that the left-turning tendency was not controlled and the aircraft stalled during the turn.

Why the workload rose so quickly

A go-around close to the runway combines configuration change, power application, pitch control, directional control and obstacle awareness. In a powerful single-engine aircraft, applying power can require prompt and positive control inputs. A bounce adds surprise and compresses the time available.

Decision points

• Brief the aircraft-specific go-around before the approach.
• Use the approved pitch, power and configuration sequence rather than an improvised response.
• Maintain directional control and a safe flying speed before demanding climb performance.
• Recognise that a touch-and-go is not mandatory; stopping or making a full-stop landing may be the safer planned option when conditions or workload warrant it.
• Practise go-arounds with a qualified instructor in accordance with the approved flight manual.

Learning takeaway

A go-around is a normal manoeuvre, but it is not a single action of adding power. It is a coordinated transition that must keep the aircraft controlled throughout. This summary does not prescribe aircraft-specific control inputs; those must come from approved documentation and training.

Warning signs to notice earlier

• The aircraft is bouncing or slow when high power and configuration changes begin.
• Pitch and left-turning tendency increase before a stable climb attitude is established.
• A touch-and-go objective is being preserved despite conditions that favour stopping or going around earlier.

Decision analysis

The AAIB report supports a chain rather than a single-cause slogan: runway contact and surprise, high power at low speed, increasing pitch, uncorrected yaw and roll, and a stall close to the ground. Breaking that chain requires an aircraft-specific go-around technique and an earlier willingness to abandon an unstable approach or training sequence.

Power should be applied and managed in accordance with the approved procedure while directional control and a safe attitude are maintained. The exact control pressures and configuration sequence belong in type training, not in a generic article.

Safer alternatives to discuss

Before each circuit, brief the conditions for a full-stop, go-around or discontinued touch-and-go. Include runway remaining, bounce severity, aircraft control and instructor intervention. Practise at a suitable aerodrome with a qualified instructor so startle is introduced without sacrificing safety margin.

For self-briefing, separate three moments: the approach-stability gate, the first abnormal runway contact and the first sign that the go-around is not developing normally. State the safe decision available at each moment. This makes the lesson transferable without pretending the accident can be replayed from one paragraph.

Instructor or group debrief

1. Where was the earliest reversible decision?
2. How do power, pitch, yaw and airspeed interact in this aircraft?
3. When should a touch-and-go become a full-stop?
4. Which part of the lesson requires supervised aircraft-specific practice?

Do not copy actions from this learning scenario into an aircraft checklist. Transfer the decision-making lesson, then use current official information, approved aircraft procedures and qualified instruction for the operation itself.