Definition
A landing made in an airplane whose engine has stopped producing power, requiring the pilot to glide the aircraft to the ground without the use of thrust.
Plain English
Landing the airplane with no engine power -- gliding it down and touching down using only what altitude and airspeed you have left.
Context Anchor
Encountered in engine-failure training, emergency procedures, and discussions of forced landings.
Derivation
The term comes from the propeller, which sits motionless -- 'dead' -- on the front of the airplane when the engine has stopped. The 'stick' refers to the control stick the pilot still uses to fly the airplane down. So a 'dead-stick' landing is one where the propeller is dead but the controls are very much alive.
Why Pilots Care
Teaches pilots how to recover safely from total power loss without turning a minor problem into an accident.
Intuition Check
A dead-stick landing does not mean the flight controls are dead. It means the engine is not providing usable power, while the pilot still controls the airplane.
Example Sentence 1
After the engine quit at 3,000 feet, the pilot set up best glide speed and made a successful dead-stick landing in a nearby field.
Example Sentence 2
Instructors often have students practice dead-stick landings from pattern altitude to build confidence in power-off handling.