Radelow From United States of America, joined Jul 2004, 426 posts, RR: 3 Posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 4464 times:
I was in Golden Hills which is a community just east of SAN. A Continental 757 flew over on an obvious descent but prior to touchdown veered right and commenced a large circle flying over Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, North Park before circling all the way around and continuing it's descent. I have NEVER seen this happened before. Is it typical for a flight to perform a missed approach BEFORE the runway? FYI Golden hills is maybe 3-5 miles from the runway.
MtnWest1979 From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 2122 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 4388 times:
Maybe to add spacing between it and a prior aircraft that was landing. And maybe since there was not much traffic behind the CO, they just circled there. Don't know, but it is a possibility I guess.
JAAlbert From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 1194 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 4288 times:
I live in North Park area of San Diego. Every once in awhile I have notice a plane make this manuever. It is a special sight to see a passenger plane fly so low over my neighborhood. When I used to follow the ATC recordings on my radio, I would hear the controllers tell a plane to do an "S" curve or a circle to put distance between the plane on approach and one still on the runway.
EWRCabincrew From United States of America, joined May 2006, 5522 posts, RR: 57 Reply 3, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 4263 times:
Is the Laurel Street parking structure still there? It was always a great place to watch planes land.
PanAm747 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 4242 posts, RR: 10 Reply 5, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 4157 times:
So THAT'S what I heard this morning!! Good Lord, I thought I was being dive-bombed...I would have run out of the house, but I had just gotten out of the shower! I was almost afraid it was going to hit the house, and that I needed to hit the floor!
Pan Am:The World's Most Experienced Airline - P(oor) S(ailor's) A(irline): San Diego's Hometown Airline-Catch Our Smile!
Tootallsd From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 542 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 4112 times:
EWR: The Laurel Street parking structures remain.
I live where I can basically watch planes finish their approach and follow them all the way to runway. Residents in my building are so used to this that we can tell the sound of a missed approach with our backs turned watching television.
The go-round described by the author of this thread is unusual. I do see it happen with prop commuter planes relatively often but not usually with jets. Usually they return to a decent altitude and stay on the runway center line until they are out over or near the Pacific and then rejoin the line back over Kearny Mesa. But there are exceptions. I've seen them follow the departure track along the Mexican border and then come back up from the south. Clearly it depends on what is in the queue.
Coronado990 From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 1590 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days ago) and read 4064 times:
I use to live in University Heights and Southwest did this tight little orbit at 1000' over my house to the north of the field all the time. Beats going out over the ocean to circle to the south, which can take well over 15 minutes to come back around. The tight orbit to the north can only be done during quite moments between arrivals. Those moments are getting rare so enjoy it while you can.
It does remind of the PSA days with low turn and burns over Balboa Park.
Socalfive From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 3355 times:
I was having lunch at the Ferry landing on Coronado the same day and noticed a 757 pull out of final approach, overfly the airport to the west and then lost track of it. Usually a missed approach will cause a wide right circle over mission bay and back to the pattern and this didn't seem to be the case, the wind didn't shift, so it wasn't a runway change. So perhaps there were just unusual spacing issues going on at SAN on Saturday, perhaps a new controller in the tower. lol
Coronado990 From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 1590 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 3080 times:
Quoting Socalfive (Reply 8): Usually a missed approach will cause a wide right circle over mission bay and back to the pattern
If you take a wide right circle over Mission Bay, you need to get up to 4000' to avoid Montgomery Field traffic. Only a tight right hand turn can be made within the TCA below 4000'.
If traffic is heavy, normal procedure is wide left turn towards the POGGY VOR after going about 5 miles out over the Pacific and come back around.
FutureSDPDcop From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 1291 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 2921 times:
Quoting Coronado990 (Reply 9): If traffic is heavy, normal procedure is wide left turn towards the POGGY VOR after going about 5 miles out over the Pacific and come back around.
On the one go around I ever experienced in my life, it was at SAN and this is the approach we made. Had to go around cause So-Cal kept up too high for a long time. Didn't go all the way to POGGY. Ended up over the National City area.
Jc2000 From United States of America, joined May 2006, 1 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 2672 times:
On the extreme, it usually happens when the spacing of a landing aircraft and the departing aircraft becomes to close for safety comfort thats when the ATC gives the approaching aircrafts the order to pull-up. If there is no traffic behind the approaching aircrafts, he could be ordered to do the tight turn banking around either right or left back to the landing pattern. Nice view to look over the city.
FutureSDPDcop From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 1291 posts, RR: 5 Reply 12, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 1767 times:
Quoting Jc2000 (Reply 11): If there is no traffic behind the approaching aircrafts, he could be ordered to do the tight turn banking around either right or left back to the landing pattern. Nice view to look over the city.
Going left near the airport would interfere with NAS, right? If aircrafts were to go out to sea before turning left, wouldn't that solve that problem?
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