What is it called when a plane is going down?

Aviation Enthusiast Author has 100 answers and 192.9K answer views 5y. If the aircraft is going down towards a runway at a controlled speed with proper airflow, then it is considered landing. If it is going down a runway as it is stalling, then it is considered falling/crashing.



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If distress, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAY-DAY; if urgency, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN.

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The term 'Mayday' originates from the French phrase 'm'aider' which means 'help me'. It was first adopted as a distress signal for aviation in the early 1920s. The credit for its implementation goes to Frederick Stanley Mockford, a senior radio officer at London's Croydon Airport.

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Affirm: Contrary to popular belief, pilots do not say “affirmative” when they mean “yes” – the correct term is affirm, pronounced “AY-firm”.

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Pilots Have Their Own Secret Language. Here's What They're Really Saying
  • “Let's kick the tires and light the fires” ...
  • “Feet wet” ...
  • “We've got a deadhead crew flying to Chicago” ...
  • “There's a pilot in the jumpseat” ...
  • “It's 17:00 Zulu time” ...
  • “George is flying the plane now” ...
  • “We're flying through an air pocket”


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Turbulence, which causes planes to suddenly jolt while in flight, is considered a fairly normal occurrence and nothing to fear. The movement is caused by atmospheric pressure, jet streams, air around mountains, cold or warm weather fronts, or thunderstorms, according to The Federal Aviation Administration.

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A porpoise landing is a bounced landing that, if not recovered, results in your plane touching down nose first. If you let it continue, it will set your plane off into a series of jumps and dives, like a real porpoise.

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