Would you go around? (Poll)

[201er]

Save the world or save your girlfriend?

If you found yourself in the position where you forgot to extend the gear and touched the prop to the ground, and you had enough mental capacity to realize what happened and resist acting on reflex, would you take the crash or go around to land on the wheels? It’s obviously a split second decision so you don’t get to weigh all the variables but what’s your default choice under the circumstance.

 

 

 

[Schllc]

Assuming I was situationally aware enough to process this, I would grind it all the way to a full stop. 
I think it would be unsafe to try a go around without knowing what damage to the engine/prop from the prop strike. 
in for a penny, in for a pound….

[Paul Thomas]

While it would lessen the damage and help getting the airplane airworthy again sooner, I'm not going around. I'd hate to crash on somewhere on the go-around.

[kortopates]

Way two many are dead from trying to go around; including Mooney pilots. Even an airliner has tried - with a great many fatalities. But there was the lucky twin pilot that landed on his props and not only went around but flew home! He had some splain’n to do but shows death is not guaranteed.
Remember insurance covers your mistakes, really want to risk your life with such unfavorable odds? To save what?
Funny (assuming he did make it down) how the Mooney pilot going around then drops the gear in the climb up!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[midlifeflyer]

No way I’m going around with a damaged airplane.

[Robm]

Nope. Insurance owns the plane at that point. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. 

[Falcon Man]

Don't go around, save yourself and others you might hurt from an off airport landing.

[201Steve]

What are you possible going to save by going around after you already F’ed it up? A bent prop that’s just a little less bent? A little less scraping on a scraped belly? lol 

[201Steve]

I guess to save the crane bill you could just add power enough to ground effect and re-land without going around if your hypothetical situation gives us the awareness you described. And the runway was 5k+

[Ragsf15e]

My wife was working on her license a long while back and bounced a 172 bad enough that she hit the prop and cracked the nose gear/firewall area.  Went around, flew a nice pattern, landed, told the fbo that she hit pretty hard and they should look at the airplane.  They said it was probably fine and she left.  They called later that night and told us it was totaled!  It was pretty ragged out…

[IvanP]

Grind it to a halt. Once the prop hits the ground, I am not taking chances. 

[Denis Mexted]

I wouldn’t like to be judgmental. But I guess I am. 
I imagine the decision to open the throttle was reactionary and instinctive.
I imagine I would do the same.

However, thinking about it over a cuppa, best to close the throttle.

 

[varlajo]

2 hours ago, 201Steve said:

What are you possible going to save by going around after you already F’ed it up? A bent prop that’s just a little less bent? A little less scraping on a scraped belly? lol 

I guess the only theoretical argument could be that the slight nose up attitude during the F'd up landing attempt may prevent prop from striking.

[toto]

12 minutes ago, varlajo said:

I guess the only theoretical argument could be that the slight nose up attitude during the F'd up landing attempt may prevent prop from striking.

I mean, he’s also pretty far down the runway …. If there was really inhospitable terrain right off the departure end and he would go sliding off a cliff or something on the belly, I guess maybe I could see someone arguing that it’s safer to go around.

But imo unless the floor is lava right off the departure end, you’re always better off to slide it in, call the insurance company and hit the pub.

This guy was in reptilian brain mode.

[varlajo]

1 minute ago, toto said:

slide it in, call the insurance company and hit the pub

Oh I'm not arguing with that!! 

[MB65E]

We can all say whatever we want here. But like Mexted said you might have a reaction push the power back up if you heard something.  I think the LONG  landing flare would be enough to go around. But I don’t know what I would do in the moment. We can all think to ourselves to wipe the power out and accept it. But who knows. 
-Matt

[Ibra]

I tend to land on short runways, no way I am going around if I am late on touchdown, slow and things looks dodgy, I prefer to cut my loss and take the hit rather than doubling the stakes. For gear up, I would treat it the same, "you know you have landed gear up when you need full power to taxi" 

Most videos I saw of going around after gear up seems to be landing way too fast and act with split seconds, they are lucky that aircraft performs: some go up with winglets on propeller and stuck flaps ! 

While ago, I hit a bird in wooden vintage aircraft, right on landing touchdown, I decided to go around, the aircraft did not  accelerate: the engine was vibrating and the stick felt wiggly, I pulled mixture, hold it until it landed and stopped, to my surprise, I lost 1/4 of my propeller blade...

 

Edited yesterday at 06:34 AM by Ibra

[Mooney in Oz]

15 hours ago, kortopates said:

Way two many are dead from trying to go around; including Mooney pilots. 

Yes and I remember this exact thing happening years ago to a recently checked out and very low time Mooney pilot with a passenger in a rented J that I used to also rent before ownership.

Following a number of bounces and the inevitable prop strike, the Mooney only just made it to mid downwind at a couple of hundred feet before it stalled and spun.

I’ve been in and out of this airport a fair few times myself. He could have landed in a field outside of the airport straight ahead.

A sad ending to a bad decision that that resulted in an innocent life lost.

15 hours ago, kortopates said:

But there was the lucky twin pilot that landed on his props and not only went around but flew home!

That was an Aerostar and what I call spinning the chamber. Lucky for that pilot the chamber was empty.

[kortopates]

7 hours ago, Mooney in Oz said:

Following a number of bounces and the inevitable prop strike, the Mooney only just made it to mid downwind at a couple of hundred feet before it stalled and spun.

I've seen the aftermath of the same kind of accident - another fatal sadly at my home. A M20L Porsche conversion came in hot and long and bounced multiple times before starting a late go around; after a suspected prop strike. It tried to climb out but really couldn't and about 1/4 mi past the runway came down on the roof of a building and bounced off into the parking lot killing as elderly passenger. The pilot survived but it was especially sad  because the pax was the pilots mother and to the best of my knowledge that pilot never flew again. Her husband became one of my students later. As @toto said, it would have been much better to hit the fence or go off the end than attempt a late go around; especially after a prop strike. 

But a bounced landing is the only time I can imagine not realizing you had a prop strike and trying to go around. But there is no mistaking floating down the runway till you feel and hear the sound of the plane's belly and prop scrape the runway and anyone that thinks they can pull off a go around safely at that point just hasn't been flying long enough to know how many people have died trying to do so. 

As for the thought you may be able to reduce damage by getting it back off, lets remember a normal gear up is only an incident with minor damage; although expensive and time consuming. But trying to power up and fly an damaged prop and possibly damaged engine off is far more likely to total the aircraft and kill you - speed kills. 

[flyboy0681]

Hypothetical here. What about a case where the nose is high in the flare, some scraping is heard from the back, but there is no prop strike. Ok to go around?

[Immelman]

Such an easy question to have when you're relaxing in front of a keyboard with a moment to pause and think.

As opposed to the shock of touching down with a scrape.

[Pinecone]

18 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

My wife was working on her license a long while back and bounced a 172 bad enough that she hit the prop and cracked the nose gear/firewall area.  Went around, flew a nice pattern, landed, told the fbo that she hit pretty hard and they should look at the airplane.  They said it was probably fine and she left.  They called later that night and told us it was totaled!  It was pretty ragged out…

Local solo student bounced a 172 nine times (YES, 9 times, caught on ramp video) before hit nose low enough to high prop and stop the airplane.  Bent/cracked firewall.  They repaired it.