Landing an airplane is often described as a blend of precision, practice, and intuition—yet even seasoned pilots can fall victim to the bounced landing which occurs when the airplane contacts the ground with a sharp impact as the result of an improper landing attitude or an excessive sink rate. Though the airplane's tires and struts provide some springing action, the airplane does not bounce like a rubber ball. Instead, it rebounds into the air because the wing's angle of attack was abruptly increased, producing a sudden addition of lift.
When the bounce is very slight and there is no extreme change in the airplane's pitch attitude and sufficient runway remains, a follow-up landing may be executed by applying just enough power to cushion the subsequent touchdown, and smoothly adjusting the pitch to the proper touchdown attitude. If a second bounce occurs after the recovery, the best course of action is to go-around.
When a bounce is severe, the safest procedure is to immediately go around and come back for another attempt as improper recovery from a severe bounce could result in the the airplane porpoising. No attempt to salvage the landing should be made after a severe bounce or any bounce when insufficient runway remains.
