Definition
A balked landing is a go-around initiated late in the approach or landing sequence — typically after the airplane has crossed the runway threshold and is in the flare, touchdown, or rollout phase — when the pilot decides not to complete the landing and transitions back to a climb.
Plain English
It is a decision to stop landing and go back around for another try, made very late — when you are already over the runway, just touching down, or rolling out.
Context Anchor
Used during approach, flare, touchdown, and go-around training when a landing becomes unsafe or unstable and the pilot must abandon it.
Derivation
‘Balk’ comes from an old English word meaning to stop short or refuse to go on, the same sense used when a horse balks at a jump. In aviation it carries that same idea — the landing was started but stopped short before completion.
Why Pilots Care
It gives the pilot a standard, safe way to reject an unsafe landing without forcing a touchdown that could lead to runway overrun, loss of control, or collision.
Intuition Check
A balked landing is not the same as a crash or a failed landing. It means the pilot chose to stop the landing attempt and fly away because continuing was not the safest choice.
Example Sentence 1
When a deer ran onto the runway just as he flared, he executed a balked landing and climbed back into the pattern.
Example Sentence 2
During training, the instructor had the student practice a balked landing from fifty feet to build the habit of going around when the approach feels unstable.