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To Land or Not to Land? The Ultimate Guide to Single-Engine Go-Arounds
Meta Description: Discover the critical decision-making process for single-engine go-arounds in light twins. Learn from active DPE Jeff Gerencser why landing is often the safest choice and how to ace your multi-engine rating checkride.
You’re on short final. The gear is down, the flaps are set, and the runway is ballooning in your windscreen. Then, it happens, the dreaded "pop" and a sudden yaw. You’ve lost an engine at the most critical phase of flight. In your head, you hear your instructor's voice: "Power, Drag, Identify, Verify." But there’s a massive question looming over the glare shield: Do I try to climb out of this, or do I put it on the pavement?
As an active Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) with over 30 years in the cockpit, I’ve seen this scenario play out hundreds of times in both training and checkrides. It is, without question, one of the most high-risk maneuvers in aviation. The decision to execute a single-engine go-around in a light twin is rarely a "maybe", it’s usually a choice between a controlled landing and a high-probability loss of control.
In this guide, we’re going to dive deep into the physics, the decision-making framework, and the DPE expectations that will help you master this critical aspect of your multi engine rating.
The Physics of the Risk: Performance vs. Drag
In a single-engine airplane, a go-around is a standard procedure. You add power, pitch up, and climb. In a multi-engine aircraft, losing half your engines means you lose about 80-90% of your performance. When you are in the "landing configuration" (gear down and full flaps), that remaining 10% of performance is often consumed entirely by drag.
The Drag Curve Nightmare
When you’re configured for landing, your aircraft is a high-drag machine. To go around on a single engine, you have to overcome:
- Induced Drag: From the high angle of attack needed to climb.
- Parasite Drag: From the extended landing gear and flaps.
- Windmilling Propeller Drag: Unless you can feather the failed engine instantly (which is difficult at 200 feet AGL).
In many light twins, if the gear is down and the flaps are at a landing setting, the aircraft cannot climb on one engine. In fact, adding full power to the operating engine might just make you descend faster, or worse, result in a Vmc roll. Understanding multi-engine performance and limitations is the foundation of staying alive in these scenarios.
The Decision-Making Framework: When to Land
If you’re on a checkride with me, I’m looking for your judgment, not just your hands and feet. The FAA "Flying Light Twins Safely" guidance is clear: Avoid a single-engine go-around whenever possible.
The "Committed to Land" Point
Professional pilots use a "committed to land" altitude. Usually, once you are below 400 or 500 feet AGL and configured for landing, you are committed to the runway. If an engine fails past this point, your primary goal is a controlled landing, even if it’s not on the centerline or even on the runway surface itself.
A controlled landing into the grass at 70 knots is infinitely better than an uncontrolled Vmc roll into the trees at 500 feet.
Evaluation Criteria for the Landing:
- Airspeed: Are you above Vmc? If you add power and the nose starts to swing uncontrollably, pull the power on the good engine and land straight ahead.
- Configuration: Is the gear already down? If so, retracting it takes time, time you don’t have when you’re descending.
- Runway Availability: If there is pavement in front of you, use it.
What a DPE Looks for on Your Checkride
When I’m in the right seat for your multi engine rating checkride, I’m not looking for a "hero" move. I’m looking for a pilot who understands the limitations of their aircraft.
The Briefing
A pro pilot briefs the emergency before it happens. During your pre-takeoff and pre-landing briefings, you should explicitly state: "If we lose an engine on final with the gear down, I will continue the landing. I will not attempt a single-engine go-around unless the runway is completely obstructed and I have sufficient altitude/airspeed to climb."
Verbalizing this shows me that you’ve done the mental math. It tells me you understand drag and the risks of asymmetric thrust.
Execution
If I pull an engine on you during an approach, stay calm. Maintain directional control first. If you’ve got the runway made, keep it coming down. Don't let the airspeed decay. If you have to, use a bit of power on the good engine to stabilize the glide path, but be ready to retard both throttles as you cross the fence.
The Go-Around: A Last Resort
There are very few scenarios where a single-engine go-around is the "right" move in a light twin. Perhaps a vehicle pulls onto the runway at the last second, or a massive gust of wind puts you in a position where a landing would be catastrophic.
If you must go around, it must be executed perfectly:
- Control: Rudder, rudder, rudder. Keep the blue line (Vyse).
- Power: Smoothly increase power on the operating engine.
- Drag: Get the gear and flaps up immediately according to your POH.
- Identify/Verify: Ensure you’ve identified the correct failed engine before you start feathering.
Remember, the airspeed indicator is your best friend here. If that needle drops toward the red radial line (Vmc), your priority shifts from "climbing" to "not rolling over."
Why Accelerated Flight Training Matters
Mastering these split-second decisions isn't something you can do by reading a textbook once every two weeks. This is why accelerated flight training is so effective for multi-engine candidates. When you immerse yourself in the environment for several days straight, the "muscle memory" of the zero side slip and engine-out procedures becomes second nature.
At Ace Pilot Academy, we focus on the "Pro Pilot" mindset. We don't just teach you to pass a checkride; we teach you to manage the risks that come with flying high-performance twins. My 30 years of experience as an active pilot and DPE are baked into every lesson, ensuring you're ready for the real world: not just the PTS/ACS standards.
Final Thoughts: Fly the Airplane
To land or not to land? In 99% of engine-failure-on-final scenarios in a light twin, the answer is land.
The goal of your training is to build the judgment required to know when you've run out of options and how to make the safest possible "bad" choice. Aviation is about managing energy and risk. Don't let your ego tell you that you can out-fly the physics of a high-drag, low-power situation.
If you’re ready to level up your career and take your skills to the next level, check out our multi-engine training series. We’ll give you the tools, the tech, and the expert instruction you need to fly farther and learn faster.
See you in the cockpit.