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From: miller@polaron.physics.colostate.edu (Allen Miller)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Controlled Flight Into Terrain cite
Date: 21 Nov 1995 13:58:57 -0700

In article <DI79IM.710@boss.cs.ohiou.edu>, Bob Church <church@art.ohiou.edu> wrote: >I've seen several posts recently speculating on whether Controlled
>Flight Into Terrain is a legitimate term for certain aircrashes. I
>found this in the July 10, 1995 edition of 'Aviation Week & Space
>Technology'. (I owe the librarian another jelly for all the help). The
>article is written by David Hughes.

This is indeed a commonly used term when discussing aviation accident statistics. It referrs to accidents where the aircraft crashes into while the pilot is in control of the aircraft but doesn't know where he is. Such an accident might hapen when flying an instrument and the pilot decends too low without having the airport in sight. The aviation accident and safety literature is full of references to the term.

Here is an NTSB report reference:

AUTHOR(s):       United States.  National Transportation Safety Board.  
TITLE(s):        Controlled flight into terrain, GP Express Airlines, Inc.,
                   N115GP Beechcraft C-99, Shelton, Nebraska, April 28, 1993 
                   [microform] /  National Transportation Safety Board.       

                 Washington, D.C. :  The Board ;  Springfield, Va. : 
                   National Technical Information Service [distributor,  1994]
                                                                              
                 64 p. :  ill. ;  28 cm.  
                 Aircraft accident/incident summary report ; 
                   NTSB/AAR-94/01/SUM                                         
                 Distributed to depository libraries in microfiche.  
                 Shipping list no.: 94-0657-M.  
                 "Adopted: January 19, 1994."  
                 "Notation 6249."  
                 Microfiche.  [Washington, D.C.?] :  Supt. of Docs., U.S.
                   G.P.O.,  [1994]  2 microfiches : negative.                 

OTHER ENTRIES: Aircraft accidents Nebraska.

                 Stunt flying  Nebraska.  
                 Airplanes  Nebraska  Piloting.  
                 Microform  
                 FedDoc  
SALES #          PB 94-910401  NTIS 
DEP ITEM #       0982-I-09 (MF) 

LOCN:   DOC    2ND N     STATUS: Not checked out --           

CALL #: TD 1.112:94/01/SUM.

In this accident, a couple of pilots decided to if they could barrel-roll a Beech 99 airliner at night on a training flight. Not a good idea.

Uncontrolled flight into (or collision with) terrain would be when the pilot has lost control of the aircraft, either through poor piloting technique or mechanical failure.