Plain English Meaning

The nose of the airplane suddenly pitches down by itself, even though the pilot did not push the controls forward. In icing conditions, this usually means the tail has stalled.

Full Definition

A sudden, abrupt pitching of the aircraft's nose downward that occurs without pilot input, typically caused by a tailplane (horizontal stabilizer) stall when ice has accumulated on the tail. The iced tailplane loses its ability to produce the downward aerodynamic force needed to hold the nose up, and the nose drops on its own.

Context Anchor

Seen in icing discussions, especially when recognizing symptoms of a tailplane stall during approach, use, or other .