An air carrier pilot reported an unstabilized approach to SFO Runway 28L after getting high on approach; then executing a non-startard Tip Toe approach go-around.

Date: 2011-09 · Aircraft: Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng · Phase: approach

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-cftt-cfit|inflight-event-encounter-unstabilized-approach

Synopsis

An air carrier pilot reported an unstabilized approach to SFO Runway 28L after getting high on approach; then executing a non-startard Tip Toe approach go-around.

Narrative

While flying in to SFO I wound up high and fast on the approach. It was the classic safety chain. Approach [Control] kept our speed up and I did not descend fast enough or recognize the problem until it was too late. The Captain wisely decided that we should go around. I overflew the runway at 600 FT until we could get a word in and Tower told us to turn out and climb. About that time the terrain warning went off. I believe this caused the Tower to query us repeatedly [of] our reasons as we were trying to execute the miss. This added to the confusion and burden of the missed approach. I did not fly the missed approach as nicely as I would have liked with the confusion of the calls and the warning. I was trying not to overspeed anything and also fly the profile; while the Captain was being sidetracked by repeated calls from Tower during these critical moments. I still can't figure out how I wound up so high and fast in the first place. It seemed like I was right on profile to the dogleg. We perhaps should have broken off the approach and flown the miss on the Tip Toe instead of flying down the runway; but in that busy environment I felt doing so would make things worse and more complicated than awaiting Tower instruction.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.