Go-Around / Missed Approach
intermediateUS phraseologyThe runway is not going to work out. Announce "going around", then read back the missed-approach climb and heading fast and clean under workload, and take the handoff to Departure. FAA phraseology (AIM 5-4-21).
Briefing
You are Delta 1487, an A320 on short final for runway 27R at Atlanta (KATL). The aircraft ahead is slow to clear and you elect to reject the landing. Fly the aircraft first, then talk — but the calls still have to be right.
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- Exchange 1
You have decided to reject the landing. Make the immediate call to Tower.
💡 The standard call is simply "going around" with your callsign — short, unambiguous, and it frees the controller to give you missed-approach instructions. A go-around is not an emergency, so no "Mayday".
- Exchange 2
ATC: “Delta One Four Eight Seven, roger, climb and maintain three thousand, fly heading one eight zero.”
Read back the missed-approach climb and heading. Both level and heading are mandatory — this is the safety-critical compliance readback.
💡 Even under high workload the climb altitude AND the heading must both be read back — dropping either is a scored error, and on a missed approach it risks a level bust or a track conflict with other traffic.
- Exchange 3
ATC: “Delta One Four Eight Seven, contact Atlanta Departure one two five point one two.”
Take the handoff to Departure. The frequency is a mandatory readback item.
💡 Read the Departure frequency back in full before you leave Tower — a mis-set frequency during a go-around is exactly when you least want to lose the controller.
- Exchange 4
ATC: “Delta One Four Eight Seven, Atlanta Departure, radar contact, say intentions.”
You would like to try the approach again. Request vectors for another ILS to the same runway.
💡 State your intentions in standard terms: "request vectors for another ILS runway 27R" tells Departure exactly what to set up. Plain-language "have another go" is understandable but not phraseology.
Background reading
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