Definition
A safety device installed at certain airports — typically those used by military or high-performance aircraft — designed to rapidly decelerate an aircraft during an aborted takeoff or after landing if normal braking is insufficient. The system engages a hook, cable, or net, or uses a crushable material bed (such as an Engineered Materials Arresting System, EMAS) to stop the aircraft before it leaves the paved surface.
Plain English
Equipment at the end of certain runways that catches or stops an aircraft if it can't slow down in time on its own.
Context Anchor
Pilots may see arresting systems at military airports, joint-use airports, or some civil airports with runway overrun protection.
Derivation
From 'arrest,' meaning to stop or halt — originally from the Latin 'restare,' to stand back or remain. The name simply describes what the system does: it stops the aircraft.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must know a runway has an arresting system to avoid unintended engagement during normal landings and to plan for its use in emergencies.
Intuition Check
Arresting does not mean law enforcement here. It means stopping or restraining the aircraft’s motion.
Example Sentence 1
The NOTAM advised that the arresting system at the departure end of Runway 27 was out of service until further notice.
Example Sentence 2
After the aborted takeoff, the arresting system engaged and brought the aircraft to a safe stop.