Power Loss on the Go-Around
Partial engine failure during a go-around at KSPG — the C182's workload and energy demand collide with a sick engine
The scenario
Departing Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG), St. Petersburg, FL — Runway 07, on a local training flight in the Cessna 182 Skylane. Elevation 7 ft MSL. You are a high-performance-endorsed pilot with roughly 250 hours total, 40 hours in the C182. This is your third flight in the airplane this month.
It is a hazy Florida afternoon in late spring: OAT 28°C, dew point 22°C, altimeter 29.92. Scattered clouds at 2,500 ft, light rain shower two miles to the northeast. Visibility 8 SM. The conditions are classic Gulf Coast — warm, moist, and exactly the environment the FAA icing probability chart marks as 'serious icing at glide power, moderate icing at cruise power.' The C182's Continental O-470 is carbureted; it is susceptible to carburetor ice in these conditions.
You have completed a local practice approach to Runway 07 and are on short final, 300 ft AGL, 70 KIAS (Vref for a short-field approach), flaps 40°, power at 1,200 RPM (idle descent). The runway is made. You are committed to landing.
At 200 ft AGL, a crosswind gust pushes you left of the runway centerline. The gust is not severe, but it is enough to require a correction. You decide to go around rather than land off-center. You advance the throttle to full power, pitch to climb attitude, and begin to retract flaps.
Aircraft: Cessna 182 Skylane, solo, full fuel, within limits. Continental O-470, 230 hp, constant-speed prop, cowl flaps, steam panel. Nothing was written up; the airplane was airworthy at departure. You did not apply carburetor heat during the run-up because the engine ran smoothly. You did not apply it during the approach because you were focused on the landing.
Pilot: you — a Commercial pilot, current, high-performance endorsed. You are familiar with the C182's workload: prop pitch management, cowl flap management, higher approach speeds, and the energy the airplane carries on approach. You know the airplane is nose-heavy and floats if you are fast or flat. You are confident in the go-around procedure.
- {'label': 'Field', 'value': 'KSPG · Albert Whitted'}
- {'label': 'Runways', 'value': '7/25 · 18/36'}
- {'label': 'Elevation', 'value': '7 ft'}
- {'label': 'Aircraft', 'value': 'C182'}
- {'label': 'Dominant phase', 'value': 'Landing / Takeoff'}
The decision
Before we get into the decision tree — what do you already know about the C182's go-around procedure and engine behavior? (Pick all that apply; this records your baseline.)
What the record shows
What the NTSB files show
NTSB CEN21LA002 (2020): A Cessna 182 on a local training flight experienced a partial loss of engine power during a go-around attempt on final approach. The pilot executed a forced landing in a corn field. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined, though carburetor icing was possible. The probable cause was listed as 'undetermined.' The pilot survived; the airplane was damaged.
NTSB CEN26LA009 (2025): A Cessna 182RG experienced engine problems during cruise including unresponsive propeller pitch control, rough running, and total oil pressure loss. The pilot executed a forced landing on a road. The probable cause was not determined; the aircraft was retained for further examination. The pilot survived; the airplane was substantially damaged.
NTSB WPR25LA292 (2025): A Cessna 182N on a personal flight from French Valley to Fallbrook experienced reduced engine power on approach that could not be restored. The pilot executed an emergency landing on a divided highway with partial power. The left wing struck a tree during landing roll, causing the aircraft to veer left, exit the roadway, and nose over. The pilot survived; the airplane was substantially damaged.
The local environment at KSPG makes this scenario particularly unforgiving: Runway 07's departure end is open water — Tampa Bay. A go-around at 200 ft AGL that deteriorates into an engine failure is a ditching, not a field landing. There is no open field, no road, no park. The water is the off-field environment. This is not hypothetical; it is the NLCD ground cover off that runway end.
The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports and in other aircraft — NOT at Albert Whitted Airport. KSPG has its own accident history (see field dominant patterns: LOSS_OF_CONTROL_INFLIGHT 20%, FORCED_LANDING 16.4%, DITCHING 12.7%), but these specific events happened elsewhere. The scenario is localized to KSPG to make the off-field environment real and consequential for you as a student here.
The consistent thread across all these events: a go-around at low altitude is a high-workload, high-energy maneuver in any airplane. In the C182, the workload is even higher — constant-speed prop, cowl flaps, higher approach speeds, and the energy the airplane carries. When the engine falters on go-around, the decision window is measured in seconds. The C182's carbureted Continental O-470 is susceptible to carburetor ice in Gulf Coast humidity. Preventive carb heat use on go-around in conducive conditions is not optional.
Key lesson — In warm, moist Gulf Coast air, the C182's carbureted O-470 can accumulate serious carburetor ice even at cruise power and above-freezing temperatures. Apply full carburetor heat preventively on go-around in conducive conditions — before the symptom appears. At low altitude over water, the decision window is measured in seconds. Off Runway 07 at KSPG, the off-field environment is Tampa Bay: a delayed response means a ditching, not a field landing. The go-around is a high-workload maneuver; carb heat is one less thing to diagnose in an emergency.
Debrief — teaching points
The go-around is a high-workload maneuver in the C182.
Throttle full, pitch to climb, flaps retract to 0°, prop pitch management as airspeed increases, cowl flaps open for cooling. The C182 is heavier and faster than a 172; it carries more energy on approach and requires more active management on go-around. Carburetor ice in warm, moist conditions is an additional threat. Preventive carb heat use on go-around in conducive conditions reduces the workload and eliminates a failure mode.
Carburetor ice forms in conditions you would not expect.
The FAA icing probability chart shows 'serious icing at glide power' at temperatures between roughly 20°C and 30°C when relative humidity is high — exactly the Gulf Coast afternoon conditions at KSPG. You do not need visible ice, freezing temperatures, or IMC. Warm, moist air at reduced power (the approach descent) is the classic carb-ice environment. The C182's Continental O-470 is carbureted; it has no fuel injection or alternate air system. Carburetor heat is the only tool.
Apply carb heat preventively on go-around in conducive conditions.
Do not wait for the symptom (roughness, RPM drop) to appear at 600 ft AGL over water. If the approach was conducted in visible moisture or high humidity, apply full carburetor heat as part of the go-around procedure — immediately after advancing the throttle. The cost is a small RPM reduction at full power. The benefit is the elimination of carburetor ice as a failure mode during the climb.
When carb heat is applied to an iced carburetor, the RPM will initially drop further.
This is the expected response — heat is melting accumulated ice, and the resulting water briefly disrupts combustion. Do not remove carb heat when the RPM drops. Hold full carb heat on; the RPM will recover as the ice clears, typically within 15–30 seconds. Cycling carb heat on and off in icing conditions invites repeated ice accumulation and is a common failure mode.
At KSPG Runway 07, a go-around that deteriorates into an engine failure is a ditching.
The off-field environment off Runway 07's departure end (heading 062°) is open water — Tampa Bay. There is no alternate landing surface. If the engine fails on the Runway 07 go-around and altitude is insufficient to return to the airport, the outcome is a ditching. Best glide is 70 KIAS. Doors unlatched before water contact. Master off just before impact. Flaps for slowest possible touchdown speed — impact energy rises with the square of touchdown speed, so the slowest possible speed matters most.
The C182 is nose-heavy and floats if you are fast or flat on approach.
This is why the crosswind gust at 200 ft AGL prompted a go-around — a firm landing off-center is worse than a go-around. But a go-around at 200 ft AGL in warm, moist conditions where carb ice is a risk is also a decision. The conservative call is to land straight ahead if the gust is minor and the runway is made. A go-around is justified if the landing is truly unsafe — not for minor deviations from the centerline.
Constant-speed prop and cowl flap management add workload on go-around.
As airspeed increases on the go-around, the constant-speed prop will want to overspeed — you must actively manage the prop pitch control to maintain the desired RPM. Cowl flaps should be opened to manage engine cooling during high-power climb. These are not optional; they are part of the go-around procedure. But they also add workload. Preventive carb heat use reduces the total workload by eliminating the need to diagnose and treat carburetor ice in an emergency.
Built from the real accident record
Scenario built from NTSB CEN21LA002 (2020 C182 partial power loss on go-around), CEN26LA009 (2025 C182RG engine problems / forced landing), and WPR25LA292 (2025 C182N reduced power on approach / emergency landing). Anonymized and localized to KSPG.
NTSB reports: CEN21LA002 · CEN26LA009 · WPR25LA292
ACS tasks: PA.I.F — Weather Information · PA.I.G — Cross-Country Flight Planning · PA.IX.C — Emergency Approach and Landing · PA.I.H — Human Factors · PA.II.B — Engine Starting / Systems Preflight · PA.V.C — Constant-Speed Propeller Operations · PA.V.D — Cowl Flap Management
Relevant FARs: §91.3 · §91.13 · §91.185 · §61.31
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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