# deadstick landing

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/deadstick-landing
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A forced landing without propulsion of an aircraft that normally operates with propulsion.

## Examples

- The pilot had to make a deadstick landing when the engine failed.
- After the fuel line ruptured mid-flight, the experienced pilot calmly executed a deadstick landing in a nearby field.
- With flames licking the cowling and the propeller seized, Captain Hartley had no choice but to attempt a deadstick landing on the abandoned airstrip below.

## Origin

The term emerged circa World War I, though it did not originally concern the aircraft's control stick. It referred instead to the wooden propeller, which, upon the failure of the engine, became a stationary and useless piece of timber. A dead stick was a propeller that had ceased to provide thrust, necessitating a descent governed entirely by gravity and the pilot's remaining nerves. By the time jet engines replaced wooden blades, the phrase had been preserved through an extension of the metaphor. It remains distinct from the gymnastics-derived "stick the landing," despite the occasional and fortunate overlap in outcomes when a skilled pilot manages both simultaneously.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.