1 general:: Phrase(s): splash down [for a space capsule] to land in the water. • The capsule splashed down very close to the pickup ship.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2 general:: Land in water, as in The spacecraft splashed down within a few hundred yards of the pickup point. The splash in this idiom alludes to the impact of a solid body on water. [c. 1960]
American Heritage Idioms