ground loop

American  

noun

Aeronautics.

1. a sharp horizontal loop performed, usually involuntarily, while touching the ground.

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ground loop British  

noun

1. a sudden uncontrolled turn by an aircraft on the ground, while moving under its own power

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Etymology

Origin of ground loop

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Later, a ground loop in the microscope was discovered as the culprit for an electrical shock a surgeon sustained when a foot touched the damp operating room floor, George said.

From Washington Times • Apr. 30, 2017

A shift in the wind whipped the heavy glider into a ground loop, spilled it into a clump of bushes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Suddenly she put her nose down and plunged to earth, landing with a smash that made her ground loop and pile up close to a hangar door.

From A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F. by Montgomery, Rutherford George