BA 747 go around
 

Just wondering if anyone knew the reason for the BA 747 doing a go around at Heathrow around 12:30 today 25/04/19? It looked like it was on finals for 27R when 27L was in use as the runway for landing.

FR24 suggests it was 27L so can only suppose the previous arrival didn't vacate the runway in time for ATC to give landing clearance. Quite normal at busy runway airports.

27L was the landing runway at the time, I seem to recall a KLM 737 took off on 27R, followed by United 767 then there was the BA 747 in the overhead turning left (south), shortly afterwards another aeroplane took off on 27R. Later in the afternoon the runways were switched so 27L was used for takeoffs.

Heathrow has runway alternation procedure for environmental reasons when on 27 (westerly) operations at 3pm each afternoon they change the arrivals runway to the departure runway. This has been in place for many years.

The most usual reason for a GA at Heathrow is that the previous lander is slow to fully vacate the runway.

Another, less common reason is that the aircraft is not stabilised on the approach, in which case the pilot may decide to go around. That may well have been the case yesterday, where the aircraft wasn't established on the localizer until about 4.5 nm out:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8a8314d8c5.jpg

Dave: I was also checking Webtrak yesterday and some seconds after your screen shot, the aircraft was still on the localiser and only a few hundred yards from the threshold at 600ft when it went around. I had the impression that perhaps the BA 777, which was ahead of the 747, may have been a tad close.

Yes, that's possible, too. The 747 was about 1:43 behind the 777 when they overflew the Duke of Wellington (as was), with a GS about 10 knots faster.

The GA was initiated at 12:25:41, about 1.7 nm from the threshold. Unfortunately you can't tell from WebTrak how long an aircraft has taken to clear the runway.

Go arounds off 27L do a left hand circuit and rarely seem to climb above 4000' so if any Heathrow traffic sounds particularly noisy over my place (inbounds heading downwind are normally about 6000') I'll bet it will have gone round. So it proved with an Air Bridge 747-8 this afternoon - first time I've seen one other than leaving a vapour trail!

In my old Croydon office which had great views across SW London, I saw something VERY low coming across Merton early one bright and clear morning. It was an Emirates 777 at about 3000'. Think it eventually climbed to 4000' as it's track took it somewhere between Croydon and the TV transmitters at Crystal Palace! Altitudes brought to yyou courtesy FR24!

There are dozens of reasons why aircraft go-around, all of which are handled by well train pilots and controllers. Why this should be dealt with again on PPRuNe I cannot imagine.

Agreed. The Go-Around is THE default safe option, the landing is a bonus. A certain previous Heathrow ATC General Manager used to say "if we don't have one or two go-arounds a day then my staff aren't working hard enough..."

Spot on!

The public and media have the entire concept of go arounds reversed from reality. As a part of aviation, they are a non-event. Push the power up, and you've simply converted the approach into that same part of flight that happens just after take off. They are not dangerous, nor are they in any way reportable or really of any interest.

They always happen because the option to continue has expired.

They are always the safest choice.

Move on.......

This forum is titled "Spotters corner" and is the forum to which posters are directed by the managers if you do not belong to the privileged classes:
If the poster was intrigued, puzzled, baffled etc and wondered about a certain aspect of the airline/aircraft/airport operation, this would indeed be the appropriate place to post his/her query.
There is, in my view, no need to belittle the poster for asking something that may be blindingly obvious to the over qualified experts. Remember, once you too knew sod all! (And probably asked the same sort of question).

If OP is still interested, according to the report, this particular go around was a unstable approach rather than traffic on the runway.

I saw two within a few minutes last night, Etihad A380 going left hand off 27L as well as the Thai B77W a few minutes later, both of which went around from short finals and both landed afterwards. It's worthy of some comment on these boards, I didn't learn about how safe all of this was by osmosis....

It's hard to be unimpressed at an A380 on a missed approach, it's also impressively quiet.

Skipness, I think the Etihad was not that long after my Airbridge 747-8. and left an impressive wake in the cloud base just below it.

Oh Skipness - its FINAL, not finals! Sorry, but this is one thing which bugs me!!

I don't believe that...I bet "Bovington" really does it for you as well.....:ok:

The best thing about Go arounds is watching them from the ground, seldom nothing demonstrates the raw power fo modern aircraft than when fairly light they hit the the Toga switch-a seemingly effortless transition from landing mode. Mind you it can look scary if its due to windshear. back in my busienss travel heyday I and before and since i have clocked up 7 GA s which I understand to be quite a lot. Living in Bermuda for many years where it is VERY windy and the runway was built at 60-70degrees to the prevailing winds because there was no other flat ground available accounted for several with the nearest alternate 700nm away . I always like watching them though if I happen to be around LHR.

By the way I saw an Air bridge 74* a couple of weeks back heading downwind from Ockham for easterly approach and like the poster commenting on that first time I have seen one without contrails -nice looking version of the old girl
PB