controlled flight into terrain

noun

An unintentional crash of an aircraft in which an airworthy aircraft flies into the ground while under full control by its pilots or autopilot, typically due to unawareness of the obstacle.

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Meanings

nouncontrolled flight into terrain (countable and uncountable, plural controlled flights into terrain, abbreviation CFIT)

plural controlled flights into terrain · abbreviation CFIT

  1. countableuncountableaeronauticsAn unintentional crash of an aircraft in which an airworthy aircraft flies into the ground while under full control by its pilots or autopilot, typically due to unawareness of the obstacle.
Cite this entry
APA

controlled flight into terrain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/controlled%20flight%20into%20terrain

MLA

“controlled flight into terrain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/controlled%20flight%20into%20terrain. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “controlled flight into terrain,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/controlled%20flight%20into%20terrain.

Source: controlled flight into terrain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.