Plain English Meaning

A situation where the airplane is running out of speed and height at the same time, with very little margin left to recover before something bad happens.

Full Definition

A flight situation in which the airplane's total energy — the combination of airspeed (kinetic energy) and altitude (potential energy) — is being lost faster than the pilot can replace it, leading toward a stall, an excessive sink rate, or both if not corrected in time.

Context Anchor

Seen in energy management discussions, especially during approach, slow flight, , and situations where the airplane is close to the .