Definition of "ground loop"

ground loop

noun
plural ground loops
1. (electricity) A (usually unwanted) current that flows between two points that are meant to be at the same potential, but are not.
2. (aviation) A sudden, potentially damaging turn made by an aircraft while on the ground, owing to user error or adverse weather conditions.
verb
third-person singular simple present ground loops, present participle ground looping, simple past and past participle ground looped
1. (aviation) To suffer a ground loop manoeuvre.
  Quotations
  I slewed into the deep grass, throttled up again to regain runway speed, tried to abort the take-off and ground-looped through the perimeter fence.
  2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 41