Definition
An accident category in which an airworthy aircraft, under the full control of the pilot, is unintentionally flown into the ground, water, or an obstacle. The flight path is being actively managed by the pilot at the moment of impact — the aircraft is not malfunctioning and is not out of control — but the pilot is unaware that the current path will result in a collision with terrain.
Plain English
The pilot is flying the airplane normally and everything is working, but they fly it into the ground, water, or something on the ground without realizing they are about to hit it.
Context Anchor
Seen in accident prevention, energy management, night flying, low-visibility flying, and any discussion of maintaining safe height above the ground.
Derivation
The phrase is descriptive: 'controlled flight' meaning the pilot is in command of the aircraft, and 'into terrain' meaning impact with the ground or an obstacle. The naming is deliberate — it distinguishes these accidents from loss-of-control crashes, where the aircraft is no longer flying as commanded.
Why Pilots Care
CFIT remains one of the leading causes of fatal accidents in general aviation, especially at night or in reduced visibility.
Grounding Statement
Picture an airplane descending smoothly at night while rising ground ahead is hidden in darkness.
Intuition Check
Do not read “controlled” as “safe” or “intentional.” In CFIT, “controlled” means the aircraft was still flyable and responding, but it was unintentionally flown into terrain.
Example Sentence 1
Descending below the published minimum altitude in cloud was a classic setup for CFIT.
Example Sentence 2
Good energy management helps prevent CFIT when flying near rising terrain in marginal weather.