Plain English Meaning

Landing while the wind is pushing you from behind instead of blowing toward you. The airplane touches down faster relative to the ground and takes more runway to stop.

Full Definition

A landing made with the wind blowing from behind the airplane rather than against it. Because the tailwind adds to the airplane's speed over the ground, a downwind landing produces a higher groundspeed at touchdown, a longer landing roll, and reduced directional control compared to a normal into-wind landing.

Context Anchor

Used in emergency landing discussions, including night emergencies, when a pilot may have limited choices for landing direction.