Yes, we would consider that a go-around. Anytime you abandon your approach profile or procedure, it is a go-around maneuver for us.

We have certain criteria that we've got to make during differing phases of the approach. That protects us from screaming in at the speed of heat, throwing the gear down, and leaving the engines at idle the entire approach (Not safe!!). We are required to be 'stabilized' on our approach by 1,000 feet above the touchdown zone (which we refer to as touchdown down elevation or TDZE). 'Stabilized' as we define it means having the aircraft in the landing configuration, making progress towards our final approach speed, and the engines at an approach power setting. Our final gate is at 500' above TDZE.

If we are not stabilized by those gates, we should perform a go-around and come back and try it again. Any pilot can call the go-around if he feels the criteria are not met. Generally what will happen to prevent that though will be an ID on your configuration/speed prior to that point and one of us will state 'You better start slowing it up', 'Get some gear out', etc. I'm willing to bet your pilots were left high by approach and decided it was going to be marginal getting that aircraft onto that gate in the proper configuration, so they executed the maneuver when it became apparent that continuing the approach would be fruitless.

There are many reasons for getting in that situation.....approach leaving you high and fast, tower asking you to maintain a higher speed to the final approach fix, getting dumped out of the weather on an abnormal vector and realizing 'I can't get there from here', etc.

Anyhow, better to go-around and do it again, than land fast, long and then go dribbling off the other end of the runway.

DRW