Go Around following a visual approach (US)
 

Flying into the US we are often asked if we have the field in sight and are cleared for a visual approach usually after planning for the ILS.

Question: what do ATC expect in the event of a Go Around?

There's some confusion amongst the pilots (being a non US carrier we aren't too used to being cleared for visuals). I've heard climb circuit altitude and turn downwind. Correct?

How would ATC handle a request to still follow the published missed approach after being cleared visual? Would they accommodate it?

You will be immediately issued an altitude and heading by tower. A request to fly the ILS published missed is astronomically unlikely to be granted.

Vessbot is partially correct. At a major airport my experience is tower will issue a heading/alt to fly and ship you to the departure controller to sequence you back in. If at a smaller airport you might simply be told to turn downwind.

Below is the guidance in the ATC handbook.

7-4-1. VISUAL APPROACH

INTERPRETATION 24A visual approach is an ATC authorization for an aircraft on an IFR flight plan to proceed visually and clear of clouds to the airport of intended landing. A visual approach is not a standard instrument approach procedure and has no missed approach segment. An aircraft unable to complete a landing from a visual approach must be handled as any go-around and appropriate IFR separation must be provided until the aircraft lands or the pilot cancels their IFR flight plan.

1. At airports with an operating control tower, aircraft executing a go-around may be instructed to enter the traffic pattern for landing and an altitude assignment is not required. The pilot is expected to climb to pattern altitude and is required to maintain terrain and obstruction clearance. ATC must maintain applicable separation from other aircraft.
2. At airports without an operating control tower, aircraft executing a go-around are expected to complete a landing as soon as possible or contact ATC for further clearance. ATC must maintain separation from other IFR aircraft.

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...ng-vectors-ils

question was asked here too.

At just about any airport that has service from Europe, please do NOT do what has been suggested in case of a go around, unless you want your TCAS to go haywire.

As previously stated, ATC will immediately give you a heading and altitude. The altitude will probably be the missed approach altitude.

If you tell them you want the published missed at a large airport, you’ll probably be told no, regardless of the kind of approach. Expect vectors.

On the topic of expecting the ILS, ATC will switch you to a visual to expedite traffic flow if necessary, so it’s good to expect that (although, without trying to sound judgemental, I’m not really sure what you’d brief for a visual approach).

What airport are you flying into? Perhaps somebody who goes there more regularly can chime in.

If you're a foreign carrier operating into the U.S. you're mostly likely at a larger airport. There is no missed approach procedure on a visual approach unless one is specified. That happens on the XYZ Visual approach. FMS Bridge VIsual 28R at SFO, now part of Canadian flying folklore(!), Canarsie 13L/R at JFK, Expressway Visual LGA 31 (not sure if it has a published MAP) or River Visual 19 DCA come to mind. The call is "XYZ tower, Hotshot 123 going around." At the larger airports you'll almost always be sent to departure control and they'll re-sequence you into the arrival flow. Most of the times the directions from tower are straight forward - "Hotshot 123, climb and maintain 2,000' (3,000'), heading 270, departure on 121.5." (< humor). However the tower directions can be very specific and DIRECTIVE at times, especially if they're departing off a parallel runway. Nothing like rejoining on a company plane departing from the parallel runway! They don't give out t-shirts for those days but we remember them!

Another example of DIRECTIVE radio calls is a go-around on JFK's 31R. You're pointing at LGA 8 miles away and also at the planes descending on the LGA Rwy 31 Expressway Visual approach. The clearance is typically "HOTSHOT 123 (&*%#!), DIRECT CANARSIE, climb and maintain 2,000', departure on 123.45."

Even at smaller U.S. airports large enough to be served by airlines you'll typically be sent back to radar control (departure if there's multiple frequencies). At very small airliner airports, which are unlikely to be served by foreign carriers, you might be kept in the VFR airport pattern. In that case a quick call asking if there's a required, recommended or mandatory altitude for large jets wouldn't be out of order "say pattern altitude?". Otherwise my faded memory is telling me 1500' for jet aircraft as local VFR traffic will be at 1000'.