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

The ground loop was apparently intentional because the aircraft had run out of runway without being able to come to a halt.

From Reuters

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

Consisting of an indoor heat pump and a buried system of pipes called a ground loop, the geothermal system takes advantage of steady underground temperatures to provide low-cost heating and cooling.

From Washington Post

One advantage of a geothermal heat pump’s ground loop compared to the air source heat exchangers shown is that you don’t have to dig them out after a snowstorm.

From Forbes

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 Project Gutenberg