Plain English Meaning

The blades inside a jet engine's compressor work like small wings. When the air hitting them comes in at the wrong angle, they stop pushing air through smoothly. The airflow breaks down, the engine stumbles, and you may hear a sharp bang and see the engine's readings jump around.

Full Definition

A disruption of the smooth airflow through the compressor section of a turbine engine, in which one or more rows of compressor blades exceed their critical angle of attack and lose the ability to compress the incoming air. The result is a momentary or sustained breakdown of the pressure rise across the compressor, often accompanied by a loud bang, vibration, fluctuating engine instruments, and in severe cases flames from the inlet or exhaust.

Context Anchor

Encountered in turbine-engine operations, especially during engine starts, rapid changes, disturbed inlet airflow, or unusual that airflow into the engine.