to belly-land
1
9.1
To land a plane on its bottom without using the wheels in an emergency
- verb
- Specialized
:
aterrizar de panza
- When the engine stalled, they had no choice but to belly-land in a field.
Examples
-
Okay, pull them back up again and we'll belly land.
Fiction book (1990) -
He should have belly-landed.
Fiction book (1990) -
The pilot had to belly-land the aircraft after the landing gear failed.
-
In an emergency, the plane will belly-land on the runway if necessary.
Synonyms
to crash land
vsto belly-land
12
4.6
To put a plane or helicopter down quickly in an emergency, often causing damage
lands on the underside without using landing gear as a specific emergency method
4
5.8
To land a plane in an emergency
is a specific underside touchdown without gear rather than a general landing
1
8.8
To make an aircraft land unexpectedly because of engine failure or bad weather
focuses on underside touchdown without gear rather than the reason for landing
How Risky
Surface Forms
belly-land infinitive
belly-landed past
belly-landed past participle
belly-landing present participle
belly-lands third person singular
Morphology
Etymology
Belly-land comes from the simple words belly ('stomach' or the bottom of something) and land, and it makes you picture a plane touching the ground on its belly, like a 'belly flop' in water. So, to belly-land means to land a plane on its underside, usually as an emergency move.