Definition

Verb: - To land an aircraft on its underside, typically without the use of or after a failure of the landing gear.

Usage

This verb describes a specific emergency or unplanned landing procedure in aviation. It is used when an aircraft's wheels (landing gear) cannot be deployed, forcing the pilot to bring the plane down so that its fuselage (belly) makes contact with the ground.

Examples

• "The pilot had to belly-land the plane after the landing gear failed to lower."
• "In the simulation, we practiced how to belly-land safely on a grassy field."
• "The vintage aircraft was damaged when it had to belly-land on the runway."

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in past tense forms (belly-landed) or as a gerund/noun (belly-landing) to describe the event itself.
  • "The successful belly-landing saved the lives of everyone on board."
  • "He belly-landed the glider in a farmer's field."

Variants and Related Words

• Belly landing (n): The act or instance of landing an aircraft on its underside.
  • "The belly landing caused significant scrapes to the aircraft's hull."

Synonyms

• Ditch: Specifically means to land a plane on water in an emergency.
• Crash-land: A broader term for making a forced landing, often with damage; a belly-land is a specific type of crash-landing.

Notes

• Belly-land is a compound verb formed from "belly" and "land." Its meaning is highly specific to aviation contexts.
• It is typically used with aircraft as the direct object (e.g., ).

Verb

1. land on the underside without the landing gear