Bounce and Go-Around in Gusty Wind

Departing Tampa North Aero Park Airport (X39), Tampa, FL — Runway 14, on an instructional flight with a commercial student. Elevation 68 ft MSL. The field is non-towered; you are communicating on CTAF 122.775.

It is a warm, humid Florida afternoon in July: OAT 32°C, dew point 24°C, altimeter 29.88. Density altitude is approximately 2,100 ft — the airplane will perform as if it is 2,100 ft higher than the field elevation. Scattered clouds at 3,500 ft, visibility 10 SM. Wind is from 160° at 12 knots gusting to 18 knots — a crosswind to Runway 14 (true heading 141°) of roughly 8 knots steady, gusting to 12 knots.

You are on short final to Runway 14, 200 ft AGL, 70 KIAS (Vref approach speed), flaps full landing (LDG), gear down, constant-speed prop set for descent. The student is flying. The approach has been stable until the last 30 seconds, when a gust from the left pushes the airplane right of centerline. The student corrects with left bank and left rudder. The airplane drifts back toward centerline but is now slightly slow — 68 KIAS — and the descent rate is shallow. The runway is ahead.

Aircraft: Diamond DA40, dual controls, within limits. Fuel selector is set to RIGHT tank (the left tank was used in cruise; you switched to the right tank 15 minutes ago for the descent and approach). The constant-speed prop is set for descent (2,000 RPM). Flaps are full landing (LDG). Nothing was written up; the airplane is airworthy.

Pilot: you are a commercial pilot, 800 hours total, 120 hours in the DA40. The student is a private pilot with 200 hours, 30 hours in the DA40 — this is their first flight to an unfamiliar non-towered field in crosswind conditions. You are the safety pilot and instructor. The student is in control.

NTSB GAA19CA582 (2019): A Diamond DA40 on an instructional flight experienced a loss of control during an aborted go-around when the pilot cut power and applied brakes with insufficient runway remaining. The accident resulted from the pilot's decision to abort the go-around without adequate runway distance. The probable cause was the pilot's failure to accurately communicate his intentions to ATC and his decision to abort the go-around with insufficient runway distance, resulting in a loss of control, runway excursion, and impact with a concrete barrier.

NTSB GAA19CA409 (2019): A Diamond DA40 on an instructional flight drifted left of the runway during landing in crosswind conditions and struck a runway edge light during a go-around. The accident resulted from the pilot's failure to maintain runway heading and bank control in crosswind conditions. The probable cause was the pilot receiving instruction's failure to maintain the runway heading and bank control during landing in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a go-around and subsequent collision with a runway light.

NTSB GAA19CA431 (2019): A Diamond DA40 stalled during a go-around attempt on a short grass runway in high-density altitude conditions after the pilot delayed the go-around decision and the aircraft floated. The accident resulted from the pilot's delayed decision to go around and his exceedance of the aircraft's critical angle of attack in high-temperature, high-density altitude conditions. The probable cause was the pilot's delayed decision to go around in high-temperature and high-density altitude conditions and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB ATL07CA048 (2007): A Mooney M20J stalled during a go-around at 20–30 feet AGL with landing gear and flaps extended, striking the ground in an uncontrolled descent. The probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the go-around and inadequate adherence to the aircraft's operating procedures.

NTSB ERA20CA072 (2020): A Beech 23 on instructional flight bounced during landing in crosswind conditions, became airborne, and entered a full stall during the go-around despite full power and flaps. The probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain control during landing and the flight instructor's delayed intervention. The stall occurred because the pitch attitude was not managed correctly — full power alone is insufficient if pitch attitude is not managed to maintain airspeed.

NTSB CEN09CA459 (2009): A Cessna 172 on approach in gusty winds floated past the touchdown zone, and during the subsequent go-around, the pilot stalled the aircraft at low altitude when setting climb pitch attitude. The probable cause was failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the go-around in challenging wind conditions.

NTSB LAX07CA256 (2007): A Cessna 150L on instructional flight initiated a go-around due to wind gust, but excessively retracted the flaps to 10 degrees instead of the manufacturer-recommended 20 degrees, resulting in a stall and hard landing on the runway. The probable cause was the student's failure to follow proper go-around procedures and maintain adequate airspeed.

The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports and in other aircraft — NOT at Tampa North Aero Park (X39). X39 has its own accident history (see field dominant patterns: LOSS_OF_CONTROL_INFLIGHT 27.3%, LOSS_OF_CONTROL_GROUND 18.2%, STALL_SPIN 9.1%), but these specific NTSB events happened elsewhere. The scenario is localized to X39 to make the off-field environment and the non-towered CTAF communication real and consequential for you as a student here.

The consistent thread across all these events: go-around accidents are almost always the result of a delayed go-around decision (the approach becomes unstable at low altitude) combined with a failure to maintain airspeed during the go-around (the pilot holds a high pitch attitude, the airspeed decays, and a stall results). The DA40 is slippery and floats in ground effect; crosswind landings demand precise energy management and a willingness to go around early. The constant-speed prop must be set to high RPM for maximum power. Flaps must be retracted gradually to avoid a sudden pitch change. And airspeed is the priority — pitch attitude comes second.