Definition
A paved or stabilized area beyond the end of a runway, intended to support an airplane that travels past the runway end during a rejected takeoff, aborted landing, or landing rollout. An overrun is not part of the usable runway for takeoff or landing distance calculations and is provided as a safety margin only.
Plain English
An extra strip of ground past the end of the runway, built to give an airplane somewhere to go if it can't stop in time. It is for emergencies, not for normal use.
Context Anchor
Seen in rejected takeoff, landing, runway safety, and performance discussions.
Derivation
From 'over' (beyond) plus 'run' (to travel along the ground). Literally, the area where an airplane runs over the end of the runway. The plain meaning of the word matches its aviation use.
Why Pilots Care
An overrun can result in aircraft damage, runway excursions, or injury, especially when high-speed rejected takeoffs leave insufficient stopping distance.
Grounding Statement
Picture rejecting a takeoff, braking hard, and still rolling past the end of the runway pavement.
Intuition Check
Overrun does not simply mean moving too fast or passing another aircraft. In this context, it means going beyond the usable end of the runway.
Example Sentence 1
After rejecting the takeoff at high speed, the pilot used the full length of the runway and rolled a short distance into the overrun before stopping.
Example Sentence 2
The runway safety area is designed to reduce damage if an overrun occurs after a high-speed abort.