Commercial pilot · ACS CA.IV.B · lesson pack

Normal Approach and Landing

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Wrong Surface LandingsFAA, From the Flight Deck · video ↗

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Why this one matters

Most landing accidents are loss of control or overruns after an unstable approach, and gear-up landings are a classic complex-airplane accident. A stabilized approach, a gear check you never skip, and a firm go-around rule prevent nearly all of them.

1 · Know these cold

•A stabilized approach: on path, on speed, configured, small corrections only. Not stable by your gate: go around.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
•Approach at the POH speed, or not more than 1.3 VSO if none is published; in gusts add no more than half the gust factor (unless the POH says otherwise), and hold ±5 knots of that target.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.B.S7; Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
•In a retractable: the POH before-landing checklist and GUMPS on downwind, and gear down and locked confirmed by the indication your POH specifies (three green on many types) again on final.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex Airplanes; Your airplane's POH/AFM)
•Pitch and power together: power mainly for the descent rate, pitch for the airspeed, adjusted together to stay on path and speed.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
•Touch down at a proper pitch attitude within 200 feet beyond or on your point, no side drift, the axis aligned with and over the centerline.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.B.S10)
•Crosswind: crab on final, wing-low sideslip before the flare; touch down on the upwind main wheel first, then the downwind main, then the nosewheel, with no drift; keep increasing aileron into the wind on the rollout.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
•LAHSO: accept only if you know the available landing distance and your airplane can stop within it.(AIM 4-3-11, Pilot Responsibilities When Conducting Land and Hold Short Operations (LAHSO))

2 · The lesson

The stabilized approach and energy

Energy is airspeed plus height: too much of either means floating or landing long; too little, landing short or stalling.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
Stabilized by your gate (for example 500 feet above the runway in visual conditions): on a constant-angle path to the aiming point and on the centerline; at the target speed with the gust additive; landing configuration and trim set; sink no more than about 1,000 fpm; appropriate power; checklists and briefing done; only small corrections needed. If not, go around.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.B.S6)
The aiming point is where the airplane would hit if you didn't flare, not where it touches down: aim short of your touchdown point by the distance the roundout uses. Hold it steady in the windshield: moving up means getting low; moving down means getting high.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
Round out about 10 to 20 feet up and shift your eyes toward the far end of the runway. Ballooning: hold the attitude and add a little power; don't push the nose down. A bounce: hold the attitude, add power, and re-land or go around depending on how big it was and the runway left. Porpoising: go around; never push forward.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)

Wind, conditions and the runway

High density altitude: same indicated speed, higher groundspeed, longer roll.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Performance)
Crab on final; transition to a sideslip before touchdown so the axis is aligned and there's no drift.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
Pick the runway and touchdown point for your skill, the airplane, the length and the wind.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
Before landing: the checklist on downwind (in a retractable, gear down and checked on the POH indication, again on short final), the radio calls for the airport, and confirm you're lined up on the right runway at the right airport.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex Airplanes; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.B.S2-S3)
After touchdown: keep directional control, brake as needed, slow to taxi speed before turning off, hold the controls for the wind, and use runway incursion avoidance procedures through the exit.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.B.S11-S12)

Wind, surface and wake on landing

Crosswind: crab on final, then sideslip (upwind wing low, opposite rudder) to touch down without drift, aligned with the centerline; keep adding aileron into the wind on the rollout.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
The maximum demonstrated crosswind is a tested value, not a limit, unless the POH puts a crosswind value in its Limitations section; then it is one. Check the POH first, then set your own lower limit.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings; Your airplane's POH/AFM)
A tailwind raises groundspeed and landing distance. In gusts, add no more than half the gust factor to the approach speed (unless the POH says otherwise), and hold ±5 knots of that adjusted target.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
Wind shear on short final can cause a sudden loss of airspeed and a high sink rate: be ready to go around.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
Behind a larger airplane landing, stay at or above its approach path and land beyond its touchdown point. Behind one departing, land well before its rotation point. A light quartering tailwind can hold vortices in the touchdown zone.(AIM, Chapter 7, Wake Turbulence)
Wet or grass surfaces lengthen the roll and reduce braking: use the POH corrections.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Performance)

Planning for the go-around, and LAHSO

Brief your go-around triggers before the approach: not stable by your gate, too fast or high, drifting, or the runway not clear.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
LAHSO: the pilot in command decides whether to accept. Accept only if you know the available landing distance (ALD, in the Chart Supplement) and your airplane can stop within it for the conditions; otherwise say "unable". Read back the full clearance, including "hold short of" the runway, taxiway or point. Once accepted it binds you unless you get an amended clearance or have an emergency. Expect it only with at least a 1,000-foot ceiling and 3 SM visibility, and not on a wet or contaminated runway; student pilots and pilots unfamiliar with LAHSO shouldn't participate.(AIM 4-3-11, Pilot Responsibilities When Conducting Land and Hold Short Operations (LAHSO))
If you accept LAHSO and then must go around, maintain separation from the intersecting runway's traffic and tell the tower promptly.(AIM 4-3-11, Pilot Responsibilities When Conducting Land and Hold Short Operations (LAHSO))

Low, slow and busy

Look for traffic on final and on the runway before you line up or turn final, and use landing lights.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
Near the ground there's no room to recover: a skidding turn to final or a nose-high climb can stall and spin; a distraction can lead into terrain or obstacles.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings)
Fly the airplane first: checklists and calls before the critical moments. Overloaded on final, go around.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

Establish the configuration, airspeed and trim; maintain the POH approach speed, or not more than 1.3 VSO, ±5 knots with gust factor applied.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.B.S6-S7)
Touch down at a proper pitch attitude within 200 feet beyond or on the specified point, with no side drift, aligned with and over the centerline.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.B.S10)

What your instructor is watching for

Your instructor watches for a stable approach by your gate, speed within 5 knots, a gear check before landing, a smooth roundout, touchdown within 200 feet of the point, and a prompt go-around when it's not working.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

Remember Recall it
“What approach speed applies with no POH figure?”
Understand Explain why
“Why check the gear on final as well as on downwind?”
Apply Use it on a flight
“On short final you see only two green gear lights. What do you do?”

4 · Common mistakes

Skipping the final gear check.
It's the last chance to catch a gear-up landing.
Instead: GUMPS on downwind, gear check again on final, every time.
Carrying extra speed.
Floats past the 200-foot window and lengthens the roll.
Instead: Fly the published speed plus only half the gust factor.
Forcing an unstable approach.
Unstable approaches cause most landing accidents.
Instead: Have a gate and go around if not stable there.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

1. What is the commercial touchdown tolerance on a normal landing?
2. What is the approach speed tolerance?
3. What does GUMPS stand for?
4. Must you hold short after accepting a LAHSO clearance?
5. Where do you land behind a large airplane that just landed?
Scenario6. At your gate you're 10 knots fast and high. What do you do?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice normal approach and landing out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · Takeoffs, Landings & Go-Arounds

On a power-off 180, a tailwind on base carries you past the point where you'd normally turn final, and you're high.

How do you fix it, and when is a go-around the right answer? Decide, then see the worked answer

The maneuver: from abeam the touchdown point, power to idle, then glide to the point through the abeam and base key positions, with pitch controlling airspeed. The standard is a touchdown at the proper pitch attitude, on or within 200 feet beyond the point, never short, with no side drift and the longitudinal axis over the centerline. The tailwind on base raised your groundspeed. Now: turn to final earlier with a normal, coordinated bank. If you've already overshot, accept it or go around, but never tighten the turn with bottom rudder or slip in the turn; slip only once you're established on final. To lose height you have a forward slip, flaps and S-turns, all tools the AFH lists for power-off accuracy approaches. A forward slip is deliberately uncoordinated, crossed controls; hold the airspeed with pitch, and before touchdown transition to a sideslip to stay aligned, or straighten out. Extend flaps in steps, and hold off full flaps until a landing at or beyond the point is assured; check the POH for restrictions on slips with flaps extended. Under the ACS this task gets one attempt: a go-around because you weren't going to meet the tolerances is unsatisfactory, and only a go-around forced by safety, such as traffic on the runway, is excused. Even so, if the approach isn't safe, go around.

Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IV.M and Appendix 3; AFH (FAA-H-8083-3C), Approaches and Landings

Brings together: Power-Off 180° Accuracy Approach and Landing · Go-Around/Rejected Landing

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C); Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C); Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM); AC 91-73; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B); Your airplane's POH/AFM. Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.