Go-Around — Bartlet's Slam
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bartlet reacts to the news of the delayed landing by storming into his office and slamming the door in frustration.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Clinical and safety-focused; prioritizing runway conditions over passenger convenience.
Implicitly represented as Andrews approach/controller whose wind-shift instruction (abandon descent, 30-degree right turn) triggers the aircraft's maneuver; present as the authoritative voice through ATC protocol.
- • Ensure runway safety by preventing landing in unsafe wind conditions.
- • Direct aircraft to maintain safe altitude and vector until conditions stabilize.
- • Air traffic control decisions must prioritize environmental and safety data.
- • Conservative, immediate directives reduce risk to life and property.
Angry and overwhelmed; the outburst masks a deeper fatigue and the emotional weight of the day's tragedies and political pressures.
Standing in the hall near his office, President Bartlet hears the aborted-landing announcement, visibly loses composure, storms into his office and slams the door—an immediate, physical expression of cumulative frustration.
- • Regain a sense of control in a situation spinning beyond his reach.
- • Momentarily isolate himself to process frustration and grief privately.
- • Avoid adding visible strain to staff while he mentally recalibrates priorities.
- • Operational delays and bureaucratic obstacles are intolerable when stakes are high.
- • As President, he must protect the integrity of decisions even when personally taxed.
- • A private outburst is a necessary vent to avoid public collapse.
Businesslike and detached; operating in service mode despite the flight's operational upset.
Referenced over the PA by Weiskopf as the source of in-flight briefings: staff on the ground had informed the flight of legislative signings and Colombia recertification while the plane was airborne.
- • Keep the President and flight crew apprised of political and administrative developments.
- • Preserve continuity of government business even while transport is disrupted.
- • The President's agenda should continue even during logistical interruptions.
- • Timely information supports executive decision-making and legitimacy.
Focused and procedural; managing instruments and flight path without dramatics despite the operational annoyance.
Referenced as the rotating flight crews who handled the 22-hour flight and who, by implication, execute the aborted descent and subsequent 30-degree right turn per ATC instruction.
- • Follow ATC directives to ensure aircraft and passenger safety.
- • Execute the go-around smoothly and maintain situational awareness during a long flight.
- • Established protocols and crew rotations mitigate fatigue-related risk.
- • Safety protocols are the non-negotiable priority over schedule or political needs.
Controlled, outwardly calm and reassuring; authoritative but masking the underlying operational tension of an unexpected reversal.
From the flight deck Colonel Weiskopf speaks over the PA with procedural calm: reports a clear landing-gear indicator, announces clearance for Andrews, then relays ATC's go-around order to abandon descent and execute a 30-degree right turn.
- • Convey accurate operational status to passengers and staff to maintain calm.
- • Comply with Andrews approach instructions and keep the aircraft and occupants safe.
- • Project confidence to prevent panic among press and White House staff.
- • Clear, accurate communication prevents panic and preserves order.
- • Obedience to ATC and safety protocols overrides schedule or political concerns.
- • Passengers deserve concise facts to maintain trust in crew competence.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Air Force One itself is the stage and instrument of the event: its landing-gear indicator prompts initial relief, then ATC's wind-shift directive forces the 747 to abort descent and execute a 30-degree right turn, turning aircraft mechanics into narrative friction that affects passengers and policy decisions.
The cockpit door functions as an acoustic and symbolic barrier: Weiskopf's announcements boom through it into the cabins, insulating the pilots while broadcasting controlled technical information to passengers and staff, and underscoring the separation between operational command and political reaction.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Press Cabin is the public-facing arena where Weiskopf's PA lands and where reporters absorb and react to the operational reversal; it converts procedural news into immediate narrative (speculation, tension) and amplifies the event's publicity risk.
Runway Three-Niner is invoked as the intended touchdown point; its unsafe wind condition under 10,000 feet is the proximate cause of the aborted descent and transforms an imminent resolution into continued uncertainty.
The Flight Deck is the operational nerve center where the landing-gear indicator reading and ATC communications originate; it is the site of protocol-driven decisions that ripple outward into political consequences.
The Staff Cabin acts as the conduit between the flight deck's technical operations and the President's office: movement flows through it as staff receive updates and prepare for the political fallout of delays and bad news.
The President's Office aboard Air Force One is the intimate private space into which Bartlet retreats after the announcement; it becomes the physical locus for his emotional collapse and a punctuation mark to the scene's unresolved tensions.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The White House as an institution is represented indirectly: its staff provided in-flight political updates (legislation, Colombia recertification) even as Air Force One's operational reversal interrupts the President's ability to manage those outcomes, emphasizing institutional continuity under stress.
Andrews Approach (the air traffic control organization) supplies the decisive safety instruction — citing a strong wind shift — to abort descent and direct a 30-degree right turn; its operational judgment overrides the aircraft's attempted approach.
The Air Force One Press Corps is the collective of reporters aboard who receive and react to Weiskopf's announcement; their presence raises the stakes of any visible presidential reaction and creates pressure for clear, careful public messaging.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Weiskopf's announcement of the wind shift and need to abort landing leads to Bartlet's frustrated reaction, slamming his office door."
"C.J.'s relieved kiss of Ed leads to Weiskopf's announcement of the successful resolution and clearance for landing."
"C.J.'s relieved kiss of Ed leads to Weiskopf's announcement of the successful resolution and clearance for landing."
"Weiskopf's announcement of the wind shift and need to abort landing leads to Bartlet's frustrated reaction, slamming his office door."
Key Dialogue
"COLONEL WEISKOPF: "...you've no doubt heard that we have a clear indicator light on our landing gear, and we are cleared for landing at Andrews Air Force Base.""
"COLONEL WEISKOPF: "They're going to move us to runway three-niner. There's a strong wind shift under 10,000 feet, so Andrews approach has asked us to abandon our descent, make a 30-degree right turn and maintain our current altitude.""