A "go-around" maneuver is performed when a pilot must abort or reject landing on the final approach or once the aircraft has already touched down.

The Black Hawk was trying to land at the Pentagon’s heliport, bringing it close to a pair of airliners, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Jan. 29 collision over the Potomac River in Washington, DC — which preliminary reports have blamed on the military Black Hawk flying too high — was the deadliest US air disaster since 2001, and caused officials to change the flight path of helicopters near the airport.