Skip to main content
Aviation glossary

Coffin Corner

What is coffin corner?

Illustration related to coffin corner
Image: Chris Allen — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Coffin corner is a dangerous flight condition at high altitude where the aircraft's speed range is extremely narrow — flying any faster triggers high-speed buffeting, and flying any slower triggers low-speed buffeting, leaving almost no safe margin in between.

Studying for an FAA written test?

Terms like coffin corner show up on the FAA knowledge test. Study them in context with ACS-aligned practice questions, AI explanations, and the cited FAA handbook reference behind every answer — free to start.

Learn more in the library

Related terms

Browse the full glossary →