It is well documented that pilots who fly multiple instrument approach attempts to an airport are engaging in high risk flying. Many pilots crash on a second, third, or fourth (or more!) approach attempt in bad weather. This is why it's illegal for air carriers to attempt an instrument approach to an airport when the reported weather conditions are below minimums. Many pilots have perished while "taking a peek" on an approach. If the advertised weather at the field is below the approach minimums, don't peek, just divert. Peeking often involves fudging on minimums, and fudging often involves crashing.
If memory serves me, I remember reading about a pilot of a single engine airplane who crashed after seven approach attempts to an airport in bad weather. Seven! What was he thinking (or rather, not thinking)? So, what caused this pilot to crash? Was it the low weather? The approach procedure? The airplane? None of the above. It was the human that caused the crash. Clearly, this pilot deviated from the charted approach procedure and wandered into a dangerous area. Had the pilot not strayed from the charted procedure's courses and/or altitudes, he would not have crashed. No one has ever come to grief while flying on the final approach course at or above the minimum descent altitude (MDA) or decision altitude (DA). It just doesn't happen.
During the descent out of the enroute structure and into the approach structure the risk level is continuously rising. If only we had a "current risk level" gauge on the panel, color coded in green, yellow, and red arcs. Instead, we must visualize this in our minds throughout the various phases of flight. As we descend closer to those things which can hurt us, terrain and obstructions, we must be extra careful. When I'm flying IFR, I like to think of the ground beneath me as a spike pit. Airports are small areas carved out of the spike pit that are safe for airplanes to touch. The approach phase requires us to operate closer to the spike pit for a longer period of time than any other phase of flight. Because we can't see the spikes (trees, antennas, structures) while operating in clouds, one of the simplest and most definite ways of staying safe is to follow the lines and altitudes drawn on the approach chart. The chart could be thought of as a treasure map showing the only tried and true way through the cave to the destination. Deviating from the published path will lead you into uncertain and dangerous conditions. That's what happens when pilots "duck below" the MDA or DA to try to get a better view. The spikes get them.
When I reflect on accidents involving multiple approach attempts like the one above, I become aware of the true problem which causes these accidents. Lack of discipline. Every approach procedure should be flown exactly the same. They would be if pilots would let them be. If pilots would simply follow the charted procedure exactly, we would see no IFR approach accidents. Every instrument approach procedure is guaranteed to keep the airplane safely away from terrain and obstructions if it's flown and adhered to properly. It's when pilots stray from the beaten path out into uncharted airspace that they find trouble lurking in the gray. The pilot who flew seven approaches, however foolish, still wouldn't have had to crash on the last attempt had he just followed the charted procedure.
The approach phase of an IFR flight requires the greatest level of discipline and strict adherence to course and altitude guidance. The only way to avoid flying into something we can't see is to draw lines in the sky, and never cross those lines for any reason. Approach charts draw those lines for us. They're clear and simple, and we're prohibited from crossing them because danger lurks on the other side. Instrument approach procedures promise to keep us safe as long as we promise to never stray from them. If you reach the missed approach point and don't absolutely positively see the runway, you've reached the line drawn in the sky on the approach and you must immediately and enthusiastically initiate a missed approach. That's the only way to stay safe for sure. Venturing across that line is a massive gamble; you may or may not crash, but you're guaranteed to at least come closer.
Sometimes humans overthink things. That can lead to trouble on an instrument approach. The best way to fly an approach is to keep it very simple. Runway environment not in sight at the decision altitude? Simple: Go missed. Don't wait, don't hope, just move on to the next course of action. Multiple approach attempts are situations where pilots are likely to cross lines drawn in the sky, and unless there was some major weather event that might indicate the weather has improved for the next approach, don't do this. If the approach was flown properly the first time and it resulted in a miss, the same will be true the second and third time. Diverting to an alternate is a good way of ensuring you won't cross the line into unprotected and dangerous airspace.
