_______ occurs when the aircraft's tires lose contact with the taxiway or runway surface, generally because of standing water on the surface.

• A. Hydroplaning
• B. Hydroplanning
• C. Aquaplaning
• D. Skidding

Answer: (B)

When water covers a runway or taxiway, tires can ride up on a thin film of water and lose actual contact with the surface. This is hydroplaning, or aquaplaning in some regions, where the tire’s contact patch effectively lifts off the surface and can no longer grab the surface for braking or steering. Because the tires aren’t gripping the surface, brake effectiveness drops and control becomes difficult. The spelling hydroplanning isn’t the standard term in aviation. Skidding describes tires sliding while still in contact with the surface, which is different from losing contact due to a water film. So, the correct description is hydroplaning (aquaplaning) as the phenomenon causing loss of contact with standing water.