Something similar actually happened to me in real life.
I can't remember now if it was just before I got my licence, or just after, but I do remember I was flying solo in a PA-38 when, turning final, I felt instinctively that something was wrong. The aircraft didn't feel right, and it didn't sound right. A quick glance at the panel showed the ASI needle was on the wrong side of 60kt and falling fast.
I didn't exactly panic, but I was definitely unnerved. I immediately gave up any thought of completing the approach, applied full power & levelled the wings. Once safely back to 70kt & climbing, I turned toward the runway & called "G-xx going around from here". I didn't fully regain my composure until I was at least halfway round the circuit, but I don't remember anything about the subsequent landing so I suppose it must have been uneventful.
I can still remember the experience as if it were yesterday, so perhaps it frightened me more than I thought at the time.
I think what saved me was (1) recognising that I was flying dangerously slowly and (2) immediately abandoning any thought of completing the approach and just concentrating on recovering the aircraft to a safe attitude and airspeed.
With more experience, I could have easily got back into a safe approach configuration, but back then, focusing on regaining proper control of the aircraft may just have saved my life.
So - what I'd advise is to develop an instinctive feel for when you're too slow. At a safe height, practice manoevuring the aircraft 10-15kt below normal approach speed, paying particular attention to the feel of the controls and the sound of the airflow. The important thing is to be able to recognise you're too slow without looking at the ASI; I suspect most stall/spin accidents during the approach phase happen because the pilot got distracted and didn't see the indications from the panel that the airspeed was dangerously low.
Last edited by Sillert,V.I.; 12th May 2015 at 12:11.