by 
kuyakev
ANSWERS: 1
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Normally, the landing gear is on the deck before the tailhook grabs the wire. This results in the plane decelerating rapidly and controllably. An in-flight engagement is when the hook catches before the wheels hit the deck. As a result, the plane goes out of control for a moment and slams the plane into the deck, possibly hard enough to break either the plane and/or the deck. This can be a bad thing. Possibly VERY bad.
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