Definition
A forced landing without propulsion of an aircraft that normally operates with propulsion.
Origins
This term does not come from a reference to an aircraft's stick (“control stick”); rather, the stick in this term is, originally, a wooden propeller that has lost its engine power (from circa World War I). The term was extended to any aircraft (even jets) by an obvious extension of the metaphor. This term also does not involve the same metaphor as stick the landing (which see for more), although in some light aircraft, in some conditions, a highly skilled pilot might potentially stick the landing even if it is a deadstick landing.
See Also
How People Actually Use It
A deadstick landing, also called a dead-stick landing, is a type of forced landing when an aircraft loses all of its propulsive power and is forced to land. The "stick" refers to the traditional wooden propeller, which without power would just be a "dead stick".
"Pilot lost the engine and made a deadstick landing . Pilot loses prop, makes a dead stick landing (prop=propulsion or propeller)"
Source: Urban Dictionary