Plain English Meaning

The runway has been sprayed with firefighting foam before you land, so that if your aircraft slides on its belly or damaged gear, the foam helps cool the contact and lowers the chance of a fire starting.

Full Definition

Refers to a runway that has been coated with a layer of fire-suppressing foam by airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) crews prior to an emergency landing, intended to reduce friction-generated heat and the risk of fire when an aircraft lands with a known landing gear malfunction or other condition likely to produce sparks or fuel ignition.

Context Anchor

Seen in emergency landing discussions, especially when a pilot may be landing with damaged, unsafe, or retracted .