Which factor, when increased, will increase landing distance?

• A. Heavier aircraft weight
• B. Headwind
• C. Dry runway surface
• D. Maximum braking action

Answer: (A)

Landing distance is the distance required to decelerate from touchdown to a stop, and it grows with the energy that must be dissipated during rollout. When the aircraft is heavier, the approach and touchdown speeds are higher to maintain safe margins. Since kinetic energy increases with weight and stopping distance on a given braking capability grows roughly with the square of speed, a heavier airplane lands faster and requires more distance to decelerate. In short, more weight means more energy to shed and a longer runway requirement to stop safely.

Other factors affect landing distance in ways that tend to shorten it when they increase: a headwind lowers the groundspeed at which you touch down, reducing the distance you roll before you stop; a dry runway surface provides more friction, helping braking and shortening the distance; and stronger braking action implies better braking effectiveness, also reducing the distance. Because these factors either stay the same or improve braking, increasing them does not increase landing distance.