A corkscrew landing (also spiral landing) is a method of landing an aircraft that is intended to minimize the risk of the aircraft being hit by anti-aircraft fire from the ground on its way to a destination airport. Instead of slow descent towards the airport, in a corkscrew landing the aircraft is positioned at high altitude above the airport, then descends rapidly in a spiral. The manoeuvre is typically performed by pilots of military aircraft to avoid surface-to-air missiles.
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Rationale
The purpose of a corkscrew landing is to minimize the chance of an aircraft being struck by ground fire such as surface-to-air missiles as it lands.
Technique
A corkscrew landing involves positioning the aircraft over the landing site at altitude, then descending in a steeply banked spiral path.
History
The corkscrew landing manoeuvre has been reported as being performed in the Vietnam War.
It has also become the standard method of landing by airlines flying into Baghdad International Airport after a DHL cargo aircraft was struck and nearly destroyed by a surface-to-air missile during takeoff in November 2003.