Definition
Landing approaches that are discontinued by the pilot before touchdown, with the aircraft transitioning to a climb to go around and attempt another approach or divert. The decision to reject a landing is made when conditions for a safe touchdown are not met, such as an unstable approach, runway obstruction, incorrect configuration, wind shift, or guidance from air traffic control.
Plain English
An approach the pilot decides not to complete. Instead of landing, the pilot adds power, climbs away, and either tries the approach again or goes somewhere else.
Context Anchor
You will see this term in flight training, decision-making discussions, and landing practice when a pilot must choose whether to continue a landing or go around.
Derivation
‘Reject’ comes from the Latin reicere, meaning ‘to throw back.’ Here the pilot is ‘throwing back’ the landing — refusing to complete it — and choosing to climb away instead.
Why Pilots Care
Recognizing when to reject a landing prevents runway incursions, collisions, and other hazards and is a core element of safe decision-making.
Intuition Check
Do not read “rejected” as meaning the landing was a failure or something to be ashamed of. In this context, a rejected landing is a normal safety decision: if the landing is not safe to continue, stop the attempt and climb away.
Example Sentence 1
When the aircraft ahead was slow to clear the runway, the pilot rejected the landing and initiated a go-around.
Example Sentence 2
Instructors teach rejected landings early so pilots learn to prioritize safety over completing the landing.