Plain English Meaning
A short list of steps the pilot follows when they decide not to complete a landing and need to climb away instead. It tells them how much power to add, what attitude to hold, and when to retract the flaps and gear.
Full Definition
A manufacturer-published procedure listing the actions a pilot performs when a landing is discontinued late in the approach or after touchdown and a go-around is initiated. It typically specifies power setting, pitch attitude, configuration changes (flaps, landing gear), and airspeed targets needed to safely transition from the landing configuration back to a climb.
Context Anchor
Seen in go-around training, landing practice, and aircraft checklists for the moment when the pilot rejects a landing close to the runway.
Derivation
Balked' comes from an old English word meaning to stop short or refuse to go forward — like a horse that balks at a jump. A balked landing is a landing that was started but stopped short of completion.
Why Pilots Care
Following the checklist in the correct order prevents configuration errors and loss of control during a high-workload maneuver that often surprises pilots.
Grounding Statement
The key idea is an immediate change of plan: stop landing, make the airplane climb safely, then sort out the next step.
Intuition Check
Balked does not mean a rough or badly performed landing. Here it means the landing attempt is intentionally stopped and changed into a climb away from the runway.
Example Sentence 1
After floating halfway down the runway, the instructor called for a go-around and the student ran the balked landing checklist from memory.
Example Sentence 2
During the lesson the instructor had the student verbalize each item on the balked landing checklist while climbing away.