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Aviation glossary

FOD

Foreign Object Debris / Foreign Object Damage · Also: foreign object debris, foreign object damage, runway debris

Safety

Any loose object that does not belong where aircraft operate and could damage them, such as bolts, stones or tools; the term also covers the damage it causes.

What it is

The acronym has two readings: foreign object debris, the item itself, and foreign object damage, the harm it does. It can be almost anything: a bolt shaken loose from a vehicle, a piece of tyre, a baggage tag, a drinks can, gravel or a tool left behind during maintenance.

The danger is real because jet engines draw in air with enormous force and tyres roll at high speed. A small object can nick the blades of a fan, cut a tyre or puncture part of the airframe, and the resulting repairs are expensive.

Prevention combines discipline and technology: runway inspections several times a day, sweeper vehicles, FOD walks in which staff comb the apron for debris, strict tool control in workshops (each tool has its outline on a shadow board, so a missing one is noticed at once) and, at some airports, radar and camera systems that detect objects on the runway.

Related terms

Bird strikeCollision between an aircraft and one or more birds in flight, which happens mostly at low altitude during take-off, initial climb and approach. RunwayRectangular surface at an aerodrome prepared for aircraft to take off and land, identified by its magnetic orientation. ApronArea of an airport where aircraft park to board and disembark passengers, load cargo, refuel and receive line maintenance. TurbofanJet engine in which a large front fan drives air around the core, producing most of the thrust with greater efficiency and less noise. Ground handlingServices an aircraft receives on the ground between flights: passenger handling, baggage, cargo, fuel, cleaning, catering and pushback.
Whole glossary

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). FOD. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/fod

MLA

“FOD.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/fod. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “FOD.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/fod.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) FOD. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/fod (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_fod,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{FOD}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/fod},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/fod}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-18},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/fod |title=FOD |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-18 |language=en}}

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