Two Go-Arounds and an Engine Down: N560RE's Approach Into Midway

A Citation V crew flew two go-arounds into Chicago Midway — the second one on a single engine — before finally landing safely, and then spent a few more confusing minutes on the ground sorting out exactly where they were on the taxiway.

A Runway Change Sets Up a Hard Sequence

The trouble started with something ordinary: a runway change as N560RE was approaching Midway, the kind of adjustment controllers make routinely to manage traffic flow and wind conditions. That change reset the approach setup, and the first attempt ended in a go-around — not yet a sign of anything mechanically wrong, just an approach that didn't come together cleanly enough to land from.

Then an Engine Failure

Shortly after that first go-around, the crew reported an engine failure — turning what had been a routine missed approach into a genuinely serious situation. On the second approach, now presumably managing the aircraft with reduced performance and likely a higher workload reconfiguring for single-engine operation, the crew was unable to establish the required approach profile and went around a second time.

A Third Attempt, on One Engine

With the aircraft now confirmed operating on a single engine, Approach vectored N560RE around for a third attempt — extra track miles and extra time to get the aircraft properly set up on final, exactly the kind of accommodation controllers give a crew managing degraded performance rather than rushing them onto a runway they might not make cleanly. This time, the approach came together, and the aircraft landed safely at Midway.

Confusion on the Ground

The emergency itself ended with a safe landing, but the incident didn't end there — the crew and tower got into a confusing exchange over the aircraft's position on the taxiway afterward. That kind of ground confusion, following right on the heels of a genuine single-engine emergency, is a plausible byproduct of exactly the kind of workload and fatigue a crew carries with them after two go-arounds and an engine failure — the emergency is over, but the mental bandwidth it consumed doesn't reset instantly just because the wheels are on the ground.

This reconstruction was researched from official investigation records where they exist, the original air traffic control recording, and contemporary reporting. The aircraft movement, timeline and written account were assembled independently by Flight Follower. Where an investigation is open or no probable cause has been published, the account says so rather than offering one.

Timeline

Accident Facts

Sources

• Account built from the ATC recording and which tracks the full sequence from runway change through landing and the taxiway exchange. No independent news coverage of this specific flight was located.