The Go-Around Turn
Overweight, high density altitude, and an uncoordinated turn on go-around — the stall/spin trap at low altitude
The scenario
Departing St. Petersburg Clearwater International Airport (KPIE), Pinellas Park, FL — Runway 18, a warm summer afternoon. Elevation 11 ft MSL. The field is at sea level; density altitude is the real enemy today.
It is 1430 local, late July. OAT 34°C (93°F), altimeter 29.89, wind 180° at 6 kt. Scattered clouds at 3,500 ft, visibility 10 SM. The density altitude is approximately 2,800 ft — the airplane will perform as if it is departing from a field 2,800 ft above sea level. Climb performance is degraded. The runway is 9,730 ft of concrete; you have plenty of pavement, but the air is thin.
You are on a personal flight with a passenger — a friend who wanted to see the Tampa Bay area from the air. The airplane is loaded: you, your passenger, full fuel, and a cooler with lunch. You did not weigh the airplane or compute the CG before departure. You are a Private pilot, roughly 250 hours total, current and proficient. You have flown this airplane many times from KPIE.
The approach to Runway 18 is stable until about 500 ft AGL. Then the airplane feels sluggish — the descent rate is shallow, and the airspeed is drifting down. You are at 70 KIAS on short final, full flaps (30°), and the runway is ahead. At 300 ft AGL, you realize the airplane is not going to land on the runway — you will touch down in the overrun or on the grass beyond. You decide to go around.
Aircraft: Cessna 172R, fuel-injected Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 hp, fixed-pitch prop, steam/vacuum panel. You do not know the actual weight or CG. You did not run the numbers.
Pilot: you — Private, 250 hours, current. You have not formally reviewed slow-flight or stall recovery in this airplane in the past 6 months. The go-around procedure is familiar, but you have not practiced it in high-density-altitude conditions.
- {'label': 'Field', 'value': 'KPIE · St. Petersburg Clearwater'}
- {'label': 'Runways', 'value': '4/22 · 18/36'}
- {'label': 'Elevation', 'value': '11 ft'}
- {'label': 'Aircraft', 'value': 'C172R'}
- {'label': 'Dominant phase', 'value': 'Takeoff / Landing'}
The decision
Before we get into the decision tree — what do you know about stall/spin risk in the C172R during a go-around at low altitude? (Pick all that apply; this records your baseline.)
What the record shows
What the NTSB files show
NTSB WPR21FA258 (2021, FATAL): A Cessna 172R on a personal flight departed overweight at high density altitude. The pilot did not weigh the airplane or compute the CG. The airplane failed to climb after takeoff and entered a box canyon. The pilot attempted a return to the airport. During the return turn at low altitude, the airplane stalled and impacted terrain. The probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, compounded by the aircraft's weight exceedance and high density altitude conditions that degraded climb performance.
NTSB CEN14FA453 (2014, FATAL): A Cessna 172R on a personal sightseeing flight failed to climb after takeoff. The pilot attempted to return to the airport immediately. The airplane did not climb; the pilot was unable to maintain control during the return turn. The airplane stalled at low altitude and impacted terrain. The probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain control during the return turn, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and entering an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the airplane being over maximum gross weight.
NTSB WPR11FA242 (2011, FATAL): A Cessna 172R stalled during a downwind turn while executing a go-around from a landing attempt at Wendover Airport. The airplane entered an unrecoverable spin. The probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the downwind turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and in-flight loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and exceedance of the approved weight and balance envelope.
The consistent thread across all three accidents: the pilots did not know the airplane's weight or CG. They did not compute the performance degradation from high density altitude. They attempted go-arounds or return-to-airport turns at low altitude without adequate airspeed margin. The stall occurred in a banked turn — a configuration that increases stall speed. At 300–400 ft AGL, recovery was impossible.
KPIE's own accident pattern shows LOSS_OF_CONTROL_INFLIGHT (21.2%), LOSS_OF_CONTROL_GROUND (15.2%), and STALL_SPIN (12.1%) as the dominant modes. This scenario is grounded in that local reality. The off-field environment off Runway 18's departure end is medium development and open developed areas — not ideal for a forced landing, but better than water. Off Runway 36's departure end is open water — a ditching. The runway choice matters.
The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports — NOT at KPIE. But the conditions and the failure modes are identical: overweight, high density altitude, low-altitude go-around or return-to-airport turn, inadequate airspeed margin, stall in a bank, and impact with terrain. The lesson is local and urgent.
Key lesson — A go-around at low altitude in high density altitude is a stall/spin trap. The C172R's stall speed in landing configuration (full flaps) is 33 KIAS. A banked turn increases that speed. If you are at 300 ft AGL, 70 KIAS, full flaps, and you bank 20°, the stall speed rises to 35 KIAS — a margin of only 35 KIAS. If the airspeed drops 3 KIAS or if you pitch up to climb, the stall occurs. At 300 ft AGL, recovery is impossible. The solution: know your weight and CG before departure. Compute the density altitude and the climb performance. On approach, maintain a stable descent rate and adequate airspeed — if the approach is unstable, go around early (at 500+ ft AGL), not late (at 300 ft AGL). On the go-around, reduce flaps immediately, maintain airspeed at or above Vy (79 KIAS), and keep the bank shallow (less than 15°). Altitude is your friend; airspeed is your life.
Debrief — teaching points
Weight and CG are not optional — they determine performance.
The C172R's stall speed, climb performance, and handling characteristics all depend on weight and CG. If you do not weigh the airplane and compute the CG before departure, you do not know the margins. At high density altitude (like KPIE on a summer afternoon), the performance degradation is severe. A C172R at 2,450 lb (max gross weight) at a density altitude of 2,800 ft will climb at a rate of roughly 300 ft/min — half the sea-level rate. If the airplane is overweight, the climb rate is even worse. The three fatal accidents (WPR21FA258, CEN14FA453, WPR11FA242) all involved overweight airplanes. Weigh the airplane. Compute the CG. Know the performance before you depart.
Stall speed increases with bank angle — a banked turn at low altitude is a stall trap.
In level flight, the C172R's stall speed in landing configuration (full flaps, 30°) is 33 KIAS. In a 15° bank, the stall speed increases to roughly 34 KIAS. In a 20° bank, it increases to 35 KIAS. In a 30° bank, it increases to 38 KIAS. These increases are small in absolute terms, but they are critical at low altitude. If you are at 300 ft AGL, 70 KIAS, full flaps, and you bank 20°, the stall speed is 35 KIAS — a margin of only 35 KIAS. A 3 KIAS drop in airspeed puts you at the stall. On a go-around at low altitude, keep the bank shallow (less than 15°) and prioritize airspeed over the speed of the turn.
Reduce flaps on a go-around — full flaps increase drag and stall speed.
On a go-around, the first action after applying full power is to reduce flaps. In the C172R, reduce flaps to 10° or less. Full flaps (30°) increase drag significantly and increase the stall speed (from 33 KIAS clean to 33 KIAS in landing configuration — but the drag is much higher). The drag makes it harder to accelerate and climb. Reducing flaps allows the airspeed to increase and the climb to steepen. On a go-around at 300 ft AGL with full flaps and 70 KIAS, reducing flaps to 10° is the single most important action after applying full power.
Maintain Vy (79 KIAS) on a go-around — it is the best rate of climb.
The C172R's best rate of climb (Vy) is 79 KIAS. This is the airspeed that gives the maximum altitude gain per unit time. On a go-around at low altitude, maintaining Vy (or slightly above) gives you the fastest climb and the most time to gain altitude before turning back to the airport. At 70 KIAS, the climb rate is lower and the margin to stall is thinner. Maintain 79 KIAS or above on the go-around.
A go-around at 300 ft AGL is a stall/spin trap — go around early.
The three fatal accidents all involved go-arounds or return-to-airport turns at 300–400 ft AGL. At that altitude, there is no margin for error. If the stall occurs, there is no altitude for recovery. The solution: maintain a stable approach. If the approach is unstable (descent rate too shallow, airspeed too low, not going to land on the runway), go around early — at 500+ ft AGL, not 300 ft AGL. At 500 ft AGL, a go-around is survivable. At 300 ft AGL, it is a stall/spin trap.
Recognize the stall warning — buffeting, sluggish controls — and recover immediately.
The C172R will buffet before the stall breaks. This is the stall warning. If you feel the buffeting, reduce the bank to level wings, reduce pitch to level flight, and apply full power (already applied). The stall will be broken and the airspeed will increase. At 300 ft AGL, the margin is thin — if you do not recognize the buffeting and recover immediately, the stall will break and the spin will occur. Know the stall warning. Recognize it. Recover immediately.
Built from the real accident record
Scenario built from NTSB WPR21FA258 (2021 C172R stall/spin, overweight, high density altitude), CEN14FA453 (2014 C172R stall on return-to-airport turn, overweight), and WPR11FA242 (2011 C172R stall/spin on go-around downwind, overweight). Real events occurred at other airports — NOT at KPIE.
NTSB reports: WPR21FA258 · CEN14FA453 · WPR11FA242
ACS tasks: PA.I.F — Weather Information · PA.I.G — Cross-Country Flight Planning · PA.VIII.A — Slow Flight · PA.VIII.B — Stall Recognition and Recovery · PA.VIII.C — Spin Awareness · PA.IX.C — Emergency Approach and Landing · PA.I.H — Human Factors
Relevant FARs: §91.3 · §91.9 · §91.13
Step through the full decision tree, make the calls, and see where each choice leads — then debrief it with your CFI.
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