Editing Controlled flight into terrain (section)

{{short description|Type of aviation accident}}
{{Redirect|CFIT|the IQ test|Cattell Culture Fair III|the Canadian radio station|CFIT-FM}}
{{about|CFIT as an accidental act by a pilot|the deliberate act|Suicide by pilot}}

In [[aviation]], a '''controlled flight into terrain''' ('''CFIT'''; usually {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|iː|f|ɪ|t}} {{respell|SEE|fit}}) is an [[aviation accidents and incidents|accident]] in which an [[airworthy]] aircraft, fully under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a body of water or other obstacle.<ref name="boeing">{{cite web|url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/safety/manufacturers_role.html#controlledFlight|title=Boeing: Commercial Airplanes – Jetliner Safety – Industry's Role in Aviation Safety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629092157/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/safety/manufacturers_role.html#controlledFlight|archive-date=June 29, 2011|access-date=2016-10-21}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2018|title=IATA Controlled Flight Into Terrain Accident Analysis Report, 2008–2017 Data|url=https://www.iata.org/contentassets/06377898f60c46028a4dd38f13f979ad/cfit-report.pdf|website=International Air Transport Association (IATA)}}</ref> In a typical CFIT scenario, the [[aircrew|crew]] is unaware of the impending collision until impact, or it is too late to avert. The term was coined by engineers at [[Boeing]] in the late 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flighttrainingnews.co.uk/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76:uncontrolled-flight-into-terrain-ufit&catid=13:james-mcbride&Itemid=14 |title= Uncontrolled Flight into Terrain (UFIT)|website=www.flighttrainingnews.co.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306010038/http://www.flighttrainingnews.co.uk/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76%3Auncontrolled-flight-into-terrain-ufit&catid=13%3Ajames-mcbride&Itemid=14 |archive-date=March 6, 2012}}</ref>
[[File:Eastern Air Lines N819EA, Las Vegas - Harry Reid International, October 1982.jpg|thumb|The accident of [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 980]] is the highest-altitude controlled flight into terrain in commercial aviation history.]]
Accidents where the aircraft is out of control at the time of impact, because of mechanical failure or [[pilot error]], are classified instead as uncontrolled flight into terrain, or UFIT. Incidents resulting from the deliberate action of the person at the controls, such as a [[forced landing]], an act of [[terrorism]], or [[suicide by pilot]], are also excluded from the definition of CFIT.

According to [[Boeing]] in 1997, CFIT was a leading cause of airplane accidents involving the loss of life, causing over 9,000 deaths since the beginning of the commercial [[jet aircraft]]<ref name="boeing-1997">{{cite web|url=http://boeing.mediaroom.com/1997-02-20-Boeing-Training-Aid-Addresses-Leading-Accident-Cause|title=Boeing|work=mediaroom.com}}</ref> era. CFIT was identified as a cause of 25% of [[United States Air Force|USAF]] Class A mishaps between 1993 and 2002.<ref>[[Air Force Magazine]], February 2004, Air Force Association, Arlington, VA.</ref> According to data collected by the [[International Air Transport Association]] (IATA) between 2008 and 2017, CFITs accounted for six percent of all [[Airliner|commercial aircraft]] accidents, and was categorized as "the second-highest fatal accident category after [[Loss of control (aeronautics)|Loss of Control Inflight (LOC-I)]]".<ref name=":0" />