Cryptic crossword clue
Force bringing down plane, perhaps small means of punishment 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word FLOGGINGS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
F
L
O
G
G
I
N
G
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "means of punishment" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case means of punishment = floggings.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does FLOGGINGS mean?

FLOGGINGS noun
  1. Infliction of punishment by dealing blows or whipping.

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