Plain English Meaning

Spots on the ground that would be a bad place to land if you had to come down in a hurry. Things like dense forest, water, rough terrain, power lines, or built-up areas. Pilots think about these ahead of time so they know where not to go.

Full Definition

Locations along or near a planned route that a pilot identifies in advance as places they would not want to attempt a forced or precautionary landing if the engine fails or another emergency requires putting the aircraft down. Identifying these areas during preflight planning and in flight helps the pilot mentally rule them out and steer toward better options.

Context Anchor

Used in flight training and visualization when a pilot mentally practices aiming for a safe landing and avoiding poor places to land.