“One night flying into Newark, we were on final approach after a long day with gusty winds, turbulence, and low visibility. The captain was flying, and I was pilot monitoring, keeping an eye on airspeed, alignment, and anything that might require a callout. Everyone was ready to be on the ground — the passengers, the crew — it had been a long day, and the momentum was to just get the airplane landed.
As we crossed the runway threshold, the airplane hit a strong burst of turbulence and refused to settle. In that split second, I knew what had to be done, but I also knew it wouldn’t be the popular choice. A go-around meant a delay, frustrated passengers, and possibly second-guessing from the crew. But safety has to come first, so I immediately called ‘Go-around.’ The captain executed it smoothly, and we climbed away, briefed again, and landed safely on the second attempt.
Afterward, the captain thanked me for speaking up and said he completely agreed with the decision. It reinforced for me that as pilots, we can’t let convenience or the desire to finish cloud our judgment. Sometimes the right call isn’t the popular one, but it’s always the right call when it keeps everyone safe.”