Halflanding

Halflanding refers to a landing technique or condition in which only a portion of an aircraft, spacecraft, vehicle, or person’s body makes contact with the landing surface during the touchdown phase. The term is most commonly used in aviation and aerospace contexts, where it describes a landing in which the main undercarriage legs, a critical component of the structure, are either partially deployed or intentionally positioned so that the vehicle’s center of gravity is supported by fewer contact points than in a full landing. This can occur deliberately in certain emergency procedures, such as when an aircraft must land on an uneven or limited runway, or as a result of mechanical failure that inhibits the deployment of one or more landing gear elements.

In parachuting, a halflanding can arise when a jumper fails to fully deploy the main parachute, resulting in a partial canopy that reduces the overall deceleration and increases the risk of a hard impact. The term is also employed in the context of marine operations, where small craft can be floated onto a shore, leaving only a portion of their hull engaged with the beach to conserve wet bulkheads and reduce damage.

The significance of halflanding includes the study of structural loads, occupant injuries, and structural integrity under non‑standard support conditions. Engineers model halflanding scenarios to assess risk and improve design of redundant systems. In aviation training, pilots are taught to detect and adapt to partial‑gear failures to perform a safe halflanding when possible. The study of halflanding also informs designing of emergency landing frameworks for aircraft operating under off‑runway conditions.