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
28
5.8
To land a plane in an emergency
is a specific underside touchdown without gear rather than a general landing
to crash land
vsto belly-land
15
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
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.