Definition
A hazardous mindset in which a pilot, having committed mentally to landing, becomes reluctant to abandon the approach and execute a go-around even when conditions warrant rejecting the landing.
Plain English
It is the trap of being so set on landing that you keep trying to land when you really should pull up and go around.
Context Anchor
Encountered during approach, landing, and go-around training, especially when discussing why pilots sometimes continue a poor landing attempt instead of going around.
Derivation
From 'expectancy' meaning the state of expecting something. The pilot expects the approach to end in a landing, and that expectation makes it psychologically harder to switch plans, even when the situation calls for it.
Why Pilots Care
It delays the decision to go around, contributing to runway excursions and loss-of-control accidents during unstable approaches.
Grounding Statement
On final approach, if the pilot is thinking only “we are landing” instead of “we will land only if it still looks right,” landing expectancy is starting to take over.
Intuition Check
Landing expectancy does not mean a careful plan to land. It means an unhelpful mental commitment to land, even after the situation has changed.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor warned that landing expectancy can cause a student to force a touchdown from a poor approach instead of going around.
Example Sentence 2
Recognizing landing expectancy early allows the pilot to initiate the go-around procedure without hesitation.