# Presentation: 441203

## SPATIAL DISORIENTATION

## SPATIAL DISORIENTATION

- DISORIENTATION;  Loss of Proper Bearing
- SPATIAL DISORIENTATION;  Loss of Proper Bearings Between Earth and Sky

**SPATIAL DISORIENTATION**

## SPATIAL DISORIENTATION

- VISUAL ILLUSIONS; Occurs When There Is Adequate Visual Reference, but the Visual Cues Are False or Misleading
- VESTIBULAR ILLUSIONS; Occurs When There Is Not Adequate Visual Reference and You Feel Changes in Aircraft Attitude That Are False

## FACTS

**FACTS**

- 14% of all fatal aircraft accidents are attributed to _*spatial disorientation*_
- When a crash occurs where _*spatial disorientation*_ is the leading contributing factor, it has *90% fatality rate*

## FACTS

**FACTS**

- The average person involved in a fatal spatial disorientation accident is a 30 year old male with 10 years and 1500 hours of flying experience

## THE EYES ARE THE PRIMARY 

**SPATIAL DISORIENTATION**

_***THE EYES ARE THE PRIMARY ***_
_***ORIENTATION TOOL***_

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

**a**

**b**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

**a**

**b**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

## which line is longer?

**which line is longer?**

## which post is the tallest?

**which post is the tallest?**

**visual illusions**

## which post is the tallest?

**which post is the tallest?**

**visual illusions**

## which post is the tallest?

**which post is the tallest?**

**visual illusions**

## which post is the tallest?

**which post is the tallest?**

**visual illusions**

## which post is the tallest?

**which post is the tallest?**

**visual illusions**

## which post is the tallest?

**which post is the tallest?**

**visual illusions**

## which post is the tallest?

**which post is the tallest?**

**visual illusions**

## which post is the tallest?

**visual illusions**

## Slide 25

## Slide 26

## visual illusions

**visual illusions**

**a**

## visual illusions

## visual illusions

## visual illusions

## visual illusions

## visual illusions

## visual illusions

## visual illusions

## whats the invisible object?

**whats the invisible object?**

## whats the invisible object?

**whats the invisible object?**

## whats the invisible object?

**whats the invisible object?**

## whats the invisible object?

**whats the invisible object?**

## Slide 39

## Slide 40

## whats the invisible object?

## whats the invisible object?

## whats the invisible object?

## whats the invisible object?

## Slide 45

## Slide 46

## which is the continuation line a?

## which is the continuation line a?

**a**

**b**

**c**

## x1000 feet

**x1000 feet**

## Slide 50

## can you see the moving gray dots?

## do the 2 objects appear distorted?

## do the 2 objects appear distorted?

## Slide 54

## do the 2 objects appear 3 dimensional?

## Slide 56

## Slide 57

## Slide 58

## Slide 59

## approach illusions

## approach illusions

## Slide 62

## Slide 63

## Slide 64

## Slide 65

## Slide 66

## Slide 67

## Slide 68

## Slide 69

## Slide 70

## Slide 71

## Slide 72

## 1,200 feet

**1,200 feet**
**LENGTH**

## 150 FEET

**150 FEET**

**1,200 feet**
**LENGTH**

## 1000 ft AGL

- 3O GLIDE SLOPE
- 3,000 FEET OUT
- VISUAL CONSTANCE ESTABLISHED

**1000 ft AGL**

## 1000 ft AGL

**1000 ft AGL**

**100 FEET**

## visual constance

**visual constance**
**disrupted**

## Slide 78

## Slide 79

## Slide 80

## BUT YOU LOST 300 FEET IN ALTITUDE

**visual constance**
**satisfied**

## Slide 82

## Slide 83

## Slide 84

## Slide 85

## Slide 86

## Slide 87

## Slide 88

## Slide 89

## Slide 90

## visual constance

**visual constance**
**disrupted**

## Slide 92

## 900 ft AGL

**900 ft AGL**

## Slide 94

## ALTITUDE LOWERED

- ALTITUDE LOWERED

## visual constance

**visual constance**
**disrupted**

## Slide 97

## 900 ft AGL

**900 ft AGL**

## 800 ft AGL

**800 ft AGL**

## 700 ft AGL

**700 ft AGL**

## visual constance

**visual constance**
**satisfied**

## BUT YOU LOST  300 FEET OF AIR

**visual constance**
**satisfied**

- BUT YOU LOST  300 FEET OF AIR

## Slide 103

## Slide 104

## Slide 105

## Slide 106

## Slide 107

## Slide 108

## Slide 109

## visual constance

**visual constance**
**disrupted**

## Slide 111

## 1100 ft AGL

**1100 ft AGL**

## 1200 ft AGL

**1200 ft AGL**

## 1300 ft AGL

**1300 ft AGL**

## ALTITUDE INCREASED

- ALTITUDE INCREASED

**1300 ft AGL**

## Slide 116

## 1100 ft AGL

**1100 ft AGL**

## 1200 ft AGL

**1200 ft AGL**

## 1300 ft AGL

**1300 ft AGL**

## 1300 ft AGL

**1300 ft AGL**

## BUT YOU GAINED 300 FEET

**visual constance**
**satisfied**

**1300 ft AGL**

## PROPRIOCEPTORS

**PROPRIOCEPTORS**

- While on earth, the pull of gravity squeezes pressure sensors thru out the body, thus indicating which way is up

## PROPRIOCEPTORS

- In flight, the force of gravity combines with G forces to make this an entirely unreliable as an orientation cue

## 1

**1**
**G**

**FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL**
**(ACCELERATION CONSTANT)**

## FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

**FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL**
**(INITIATE A BANKING TURN)**

## FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

**FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL**
**(INITIATE A BANKING TURN)**

## FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

**FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL**
**(INITIATE A BANKING TURN)**

## FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

**FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL**
**(INITIATE A BANKING TURN)**

## FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

**FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL**
**(INITIATE A BANKING TURN)**

## the otilith organ

**the otilith organ**

**(reacts to linear acceleration)**

## 1

**1**
**G**

## the otilith organ

**(head tilt back)**

## the otilith organ

**(head tilt back)**

## the otilith organ

**(head tilt back)**

## the otilith organ

**(head tilt back)**

## the otilith organ

**(head tilt back)**

## the otilith organ

**(head tilt back)**

## acceleration

**the otilith organ**

**(reacts to linear acceleration)**

**acceleration**

## Slide 139

## Slide 140

## Slide 141

## Slide 142

## Slide 143

## Slide 144

## deceleration

**the otilith organ**

**(reacts to linear acceleration)**

**deceleration**

## VESTIBULAR APPARATUS

## VESTIBULAR APPARATUS

- RESPONDS TO CHANGES IN ANGULAR ACCELERATION
- DETECTS CHANGES AT .5 DEGREES PER SEC

**VESTIBULAR APPARATUS**

## VESTIBULAR APPARATUS

_**                    **__**ROLL     **_
_**            **__**PITCH  **_
_**   **__**YAW**_

**VESTIBULAR APPARATUS**

## AT 0 SECONDS

**AT 0 SECONDS**

## NO ACCELERATION

**NO ACCELERATION**

## NO TURN 

**NO TURN **
**DETECTED**

## AT 1 SECOND

**AT 1 SECOND**

## ACCELERATION AT

**ACCELERATION AT**
**100 DEGREES PER SEC**

## TURNING

**TURNING**
**STRONGLY **
**DETECTED**

## AT 5 SECONDS

**AT 5 SECONDS**

## ACCELERATION AT

**ACCELERATION AT**
**100 DEGREES PER SEC**

## TURNING STILL STRONGLY DETECTED

**TURNING STILL STRONGLY DETECTED**
**BUT LESS INTENSE**

## AT 10 SECONDS

**AT 10 SECONDS**

## ACCELERATION AT

**ACCELERATION AT**
**100 DEGREES PER SEC**

## TURNING FEELS  LESS AND LESS INTENSE

**TURNING FEELS  LESS AND LESS INTENSE**

## AT 15 SECONDS

**AT 15 SECONDS**

## ACCELERATION AT

**ACCELERATION AT**
**100 DEGREES PER SEC**

## TURNING FEELS  AS IF IT HAS STOPPED

**TURNING FEELS  AS IF IT HAS STOPPED**

## AT 17 SECONDS

**AT 17 SECONDS**

## ACCELERATION IS

**ACCELERATION IS**
**STOPPED**

## A VERY HARD TURN IS FELT  TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE

**A VERY HARD TURN IS FELT  TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE**

## Sensation That One Wing Was Low Although They Were Level (67%) 

- On Leveling off After a Banking Turn, Tended to Bank in the Opposite Direction (67%)
- Felt As If Aircraft Was Straight and Level During Coordinated Turn (66%)
- Became Confused on Mixing Ambient and Instrument Cues (34%)

## CHARACTERISTICS OF FATAL SPATIAL DISORIENTATION CRASHES

**FLIGHT INTO ADVERSE WEATHER**

**INITIATED**

**CONTINUED**

**UNKNOWN**

## Slide 169

## Slide 170

## Slide 171

## WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS AND YOU ARE NOT INSTRUMENT QUALIFIED?

- TRUST YOUR INSTRUMENTS (TURN & BANK, ATTITUDE GYRO, VSI, AIRSPEED AND ALTIMETER)
- MINIMIZE HEAD MOVEMENT (SCAN WITH EYES)
- IF YOU FEEL ANY ILLUSIONS, CONTROLS NEUTRAL, FLY STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FOR 60 SECS

## ALWAYS REMEMBER; YOU HAVE OPTIONS

- FLY OVER
- FLY AROUND
- FLY BACK

## Slide 174