Spatial Disorientation in Aviation

Spatial disorientation has been blamed for 20% of all fatal mishaps in military aviation and has been named as a factor in many high-profile civilian accidents, such as the death of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. It occurs when pilots' sensory systems, such as their vestibular or balance system, cause them to misinterpret their position in flight relative to Earth or other aircraft. Often, pilots do not know they are disoriented until it is too late.

This book is unique because it is the first to cover the entire spectrum of spatial disorientation in flight. This text draws on the knowledge of expert authors from a broad background, several of whom have worked with the AFRL Human Effectiveness Directorate (AFRF/HE) at Wright Patterson AFB, OH and Brooks City-Base, TX.

The book examines the long history of spatial disorientation in flight, describes the movements of aircraft in mathematical detail, and explains how these movements can conspire to fool human sensory systems that evolved for life on the ground. The book examines the structure and functions of the vestibular organs of the inner ear and their limitations under low-visibility flight situations.

The book also examines the visual mechanisms that contribute to perceptions of self motion and describes the contribution of psychological factors to spatial disorientation. The book defines the types of visual and nonvisual illusions pilots experience in flight.

This sets the stage for a highly detailed examination of countermeasures, including ground-based training methodologies, in-flight sorties, instrument training, and display design.

Much of the book is technical, but it is also rich in real-world statistics and anecdotes about accidents and close calls that have been attributed to spatial disorientation.

Previc, a human factors specialist who formerly led the Air Force's Spatial Disorientation Countermeasures Task Group, and Ercoline (disorientation countermeasures, the Air Force's School of Aerospace Medicine) collect information on spatial disorientation in flight. The book describes the movements of aircraft in mathematical detail, and explains how these movements can conspire to fool human sensory systems, especially the vestibular organs of the inner ear and the visual mechanisms that contribute to perceptions of motion. Chapters on countermeasures look at innovations in ground-based training, in-flight sorties, instrument training, and display design. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Fred H. Previc is an experimental psychologist with a background in physiology and cognitive neuroscience. He performed basic and applied research in the area of spatial disorientation for 13 years as a civil servant at the Air Force's School of Aerospace Medicine and led the Air Force's Spatial Disorientation Countermeasures Task Group for several years. He is now a senior human-factors specialist at Northrop Grumman Information Technology in San Antonio.

William R. Ercoline is a former C-130 pilot an a T-38 instructor pilot who is an expert at designing cockpit displays and training that help pilots avoid disorientation and cope with it when it happens. At Brooks Air Force Base (now Brooks City-Base), Ercoline helped develop the Air Force's Advanced Spatial Disorientation Trainer. He is currently a researcher for General Dynamics Advanced Information Engineering Servcies at Brooks City-Base. He also teaches spatial disorientation countermeasures at the Air Force's School of Aerospace Medicine and the Advanced Instruments School at Randolph Air Force Base.