If The Plane Does This Maneuver During Your Flight, Faa Says Not To Worry

Common flight maneuvers that might feel unsettling but are normal

Here are three surprising flight maneuvers that feel dangerous but are completely safe.

• The FAA released a video explaining that the flight maneuver known as a "go-around" is a safe and standard procedure.
• A go-around occurs when pilots decide to abort a landing attempt, often due to safety concerns.
• Despite recent high-profile aviation incidents, commercial flights remain statistically the safest mode of transportation.

The Federal Aviation Administration published a video explainer about go-arounds on Tuesday, a flight maneuver that the agency said is safe and standard.

"From their very first flight lesson, pilots are taught that if something doesn’t look right during their approach to landing, they should 'go-around,' " the FAA said in a statement accompanying the video. "While it may startle passengers when the aircraft pitches upward and engine thrust increases, a go-around is a safe, routine maneuver."

The agency added that a go-around means the landing has been discontinued and allows the pilots to reconfigure the plane for another landing attempt at a safe altitude. Go-arounds can be initiated by the pilots or requested by air traffic control for a variety of reasons.

Since the start of the year, two high-profile aviation incidents – a fatal collision involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, and a Delta Air Lines regional jet that flipped over on landing at Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport – have put aviation safety under a microscope.

Many travelers are worried that flying, long known as the safest way to travel, is having its safety record eroded. Although statistics show commercial flights are still by far the safest way to get around, the string of high-profile incidents understandably made people think again about exactly how aviation works and what things are and aren't normal during flights.

USA TODAY previously reported on go-arounds and other flight maneuvers that may seem unusual but are actually things that pilots do to ensure flights are as safe as possible.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.