Ahh....how easy we forget the basics we learnt during our PPL/CPL days!!!
Many years ago in the back waters of SEAsia, I was humbled and shaken by a near airmiss after a missed approach after a visual approach. Years of flying into Syd where the local procedures called for a missed approach following the charted instrument missed approach........so by a force of habit, I carried out the RWY 25 ILS missed approach in KCH ( WBGG ) after being cleared for a visual approach onto that runway. We had sighted the runway but stuffed up the approach after being high and fast. It was a clear day with visibility of 10km or more but cloud base of about 3000 feet. The ILS missed approach called for a climb towards the VKG VOR climbing to 4000 ft. I was on tower frequency and unbeknownst to me, the approach controller had cleared another aircracft to overhead the VOR at 4000 ft and we nearly had a big fireball.........we were saved when my sharp f/o casually mentioned that we ought to join the visual traffic circuit; I said " what, who told you that? " He casually mentioned the name of one of the local training check captain's name and suddenly I had goose bumps; I didn't know why but I just yanked the aircraft into an immediate left turn as we almost disappeared into the stratus layer at about 3500 feet, followed by a real quick descent to circuit altitude as the tower come everly slowly asking our intention! It was a very quiet and squeaky request for another visual circuit when we were advised by tower that the approach ( there was no radar in KCH in the early 90s; no TCAS then, too ) control had cleared the other aircraft for a full ILS with an altitude restriction of 2500 ft until we have landed. Tower had expected us to maintained circuit altitude 1500 ft when we conducted the visual missed approach. It had happened so fast and I must say the tower controller wasn't on the ball too! We finally did another visual approach after the aircraft was sent around to the VOR for another full ILS approach.
What triggered the goose bumps and the sharp left turn which saved the day? About a year earlier had a route check and was debriefed by a particular line check captain that I ought to set the circuit altitude on the MCP altitude selector as the missed approach altitude and expect to join the aerodrome visual circuit should I had to carry out a go around during a visual approach. Well, this chap was a young chinaman who was made instructor/checker after less than a year as a captain on the B734 after coming down from the B744; well I guess we Oz expats did not take too kindly to young upstarts, suffice to say I didn't take him too seriously and just errr ed& hummed my way during the debriefing!! However I was truly lucky that subconsciously, that debrief leapt into me at the right time. And my f/o was similarly briefed on this by that same instrucor during his line training and he managed to sheepishly remind ( albeit casually ) this highly experienced foreign captain to join the visual circuit! Talk about divine intervention or providence!! I bought my f/o a full dinner with the whole works that night! And months later I ran into that instructor ( well, he had transitioned onto the A330 ) and I thanked him profusely.......he had forgotten about that debrief but mentioned that he was amazed at how we pilots have forgotten the basics that we learnt our PPL/CPL training after we obtained out ATPLs!