Missed Approaches - why so many at KSAN?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: PugetSound
Age: 76
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Missed Approaches - why so many at KSAN?
Landing Go Around
I thought I knew a little about when and why a commercial aircraft would abort a landing and go around for another try. But, I’ve seen so many of them recently and from such low altitudes in clear weather that I have decided that I do not have a clue about a “go around.”
I live on my sailboat in a marina just 800 yards south of the KSAN 27 touchdown zone. When I am sitting in the cockpit, drinking coffee, I can often see four aircraft lined up on the runway 27 approach.
During the last several months I’ve seen dozens of go arounds in clear weather with little wind. In most of these- the AC was west of Balboa Park and within one NM of the touchdown zone (I think I understand the displaced threshold). I can plainly see Balboa Park and I-5 from my boat and I can easily see the altitude of the AC relative to the tall condo buildings on Laurel Street.
KSAN has only about 600 landings per day and I’m only in the cockpit for a couple hours a day so it surprises me that so many flights miss their approach.
Normally after a go around I do not see another AC take off before the next AC lands. And, normally, I have not seen another AC land for several minutes before the missed approach.
The other day I watched two 737s in a row execute a go around from a very low altitude (from my perspective they were below the top of the Balboa Park hill which is 280’ and 2.7 NM distant from me). The next AC landed and then a third 737 executed a go around from the same location as the other two. During that time no AC took off nor did any take off for several minutes afterwards. My well calibrated anemometer, at 65’, was reading 14 kts gusting to 22 from 295 degrees and the visibility was unlimited.
Why would three out of four AC go around?
Yesterday I watched a 737-200? (old with long narrow and very noisy engines) miss two approaches in a row - not a cloud in the sky with winds from the SW and 10 knots.
What do I not understand about the circumstances of a missed approach in clear weather?
I thought I knew a little about when and why a commercial aircraft would abort a landing and go around for another try. But, I’ve seen so many of them recently and from such low altitudes in clear weather that I have decided that I do not have a clue about a “go around.”
I live on my sailboat in a marina just 800 yards south of the KSAN 27 touchdown zone. When I am sitting in the cockpit, drinking coffee, I can often see four aircraft lined up on the runway 27 approach.
During the last several months I’ve seen dozens of go arounds in clear weather with little wind. In most of these- the AC was west of Balboa Park and within one NM of the touchdown zone (I think I understand the displaced threshold). I can plainly see Balboa Park and I-5 from my boat and I can easily see the altitude of the AC relative to the tall condo buildings on Laurel Street.
KSAN has only about 600 landings per day and I’m only in the cockpit for a couple hours a day so it surprises me that so many flights miss their approach.
Normally after a go around I do not see another AC take off before the next AC lands. And, normally, I have not seen another AC land for several minutes before the missed approach.
The other day I watched two 737s in a row execute a go around from a very low altitude (from my perspective they were below the top of the Balboa Park hill which is 280’ and 2.7 NM distant from me). The next AC landed and then a third 737 executed a go around from the same location as the other two. During that time no AC took off nor did any take off for several minutes afterwards. My well calibrated anemometer, at 65’, was reading 14 kts gusting to 22 from 295 degrees and the visibility was unlimited.
Why would three out of four AC go around?
Yesterday I watched a 737-200? (old with long narrow and very noisy engines) miss two approaches in a row - not a cloud in the sky with winds from the SW and 10 knots.
What do I not understand about the circumstances of a missed approach in clear weather?
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Finland
Age: 77
Posts: 465
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My twopenneth.
In the late 80's, I used to operate to KSAN quite a bit in the DC10-30.
I never had to go around but I can imagine it may occur more frequently than normal.
If I remember correctly it was, and possibly still is, a vor approach with a 3.7 degree glideslope and a fairly short runway from the displaced touch down point (to get over a car park if memory serves).
On a large aircraft a steeper than normal vor approach to a short runway is quite challenging.
It was the sort of place where you had to hand (couldn't use the autopilot) fly the aircraft particularly accurately and make sure you landed firmly on the numbers.
The car park also made the "picture" look wrong.
May be this helps.
In the late 80's, I used to operate to KSAN quite a bit in the DC10-30.
I never had to go around but I can imagine it may occur more frequently than normal.
If I remember correctly it was, and possibly still is, a vor approach with a 3.7 degree glideslope and a fairly short runway from the displaced touch down point (to get over a car park if memory serves).
On a large aircraft a steeper than normal vor approach to a short runway is quite challenging.
It was the sort of place where you had to hand (couldn't use the autopilot) fly the aircraft particularly accurately and make sure you landed firmly on the numbers.
The car park also made the "picture" look wrong.
May be this helps.
