the.com/ditching
landing a plane on water and hoping the water cooperates.
means an emergency landing of an aircraft on water when returning to land isn't an option.
from from the old sense of a ditch as any long trench or waterway, sailors and pilots started saying a plane went in the ditch, meaning the sea, and the verb stuck.
survival ratemost planned ditchings have surviving occupants
real killerdrowning after, not the impact itself
tail firstpilots aim to hit water tail-low, nose-up
floats brieflymost airliners stay afloat several minutes only
for instance
us airways flight 1549 — hudson river landing, 2009, all 155 survived
ethiopian airlines flight 961 — hijacked plane ditched near comoros, 1996, wing hit water early
japan airlines flight 2 — ditched in san francisco bay, 1968, no fatalities
tuninter flight 1153 — ditched off sicily, 2005, fuel gauge error blamed