Thomas Edson

Heard this term “coffin corner” from pilots as a possible contributing factor to the Learjet 60 crash. This is the best explanation of what it is and why descending rather than climbing is the way out. The coffin corner is a dangerous band high up in the sky where a plane’s “too slow” limit and “too fast” limit get so close together that the safe window narrows to almost nothing. If anything pushes the plane a little too slow or a little too fast (a bit of turbulence, a turn, or even trying to climb), it can easily slip outside that tiny safe band and fall out of the sky. That’s why it’s called the coffin corner - there’s almost no room for error, and losing control up there is extremely dangerous.