Definition
The total weight of an aircraft at the moment it touches down on the runway, including the airframe, fuel remaining, crew, passengers, cargo, and any other onboard load. It is one of the certified weight limits an aircraft must not exceed at touchdown, and it is used by airports to classify aircraft for runway, pavement, and category planning purposes.
Plain English
How much the aircraft weighs at the moment its wheels touch down. It is normally less than the takeoff weight because fuel has been burned during the flight.
Context Anchor
Seen in airport-category and landing-speed discussions, where aircraft are grouped using landing performance at approved landing weight.
Why Pilots Care
Directly determines required landing distance and runway suitability at the destination airport.
Intuition Check
Do not read “landed weight” as weight that has already been unloaded or removed after landing. It means the aircraft’s weight at landing, with everything still aboard at touchdown.
Example Sentence 1
After a four-hour flight, the jet's landed weight was well below its maximum allowable, since most of the fuel had been burned off.
Example Sentence 2
Strong headwinds reduced fuel burn and resulted in a higher landed weight than originally planned.