Definition
The very early stage of a skid during a turn, in which the airplane has just begun to yaw outward (away from the turn center) but has not yet developed into a fully established skidding condition. At this stage the skid is small, easily felt, and easily corrected with coordinated rudder and aileron input.
Plain English
The first hint that the airplane is starting to slide outward in a turn, before the slide becomes large or hard to fix. Catch it here and a small rudder correction puts things right.
Context Anchor
Encountered after touchdown during the landing roll, especially in short-field landings where strong braking is used to stop in a limited distance.
Derivation
Incipient comes from the Latin incipere, meaning to begin. So an incipient skid is a skid in its beginning stage, not a fully developed one.
Why Pilots Care
Early recognition lets the pilot apply immediate rudder or differential braking to restore alignment and avoid a runway excursion.
Intuition Check
Do not read “skid” here as the airplane sliding sideways through the air. In this landing context, it means a tire on the runway is beginning to slide instead of roll.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor pointed out an incipient skid in the turn and had the student add a touch of opposite rudder to restore coordination.
Example Sentence 2
Aggressive braking on one main gear during a crosswind landing can produce an incipient skid that requires immediate release and reapplication of the brakes.