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Continued VFR into IMC is when an aircraft operating under visual flight rules intentionally or unintentionally enters into instrument meteorological conditions.Flying an aircraft without visual reference to the ground can lead to a phenomenon known as spatial disorientation, which can cause the pilot to misperceive the angle, altitude, and speed at which the aircraft is traveling.
The leans is the most common type of spatial disorientation for aviators. Through stabilization of the fluid in the semicircular canals, a pilot may perceive straight and level flight while actually in a banked turn. This is caused by a quick return to level flight after a gradual, prolonged turn that the pilot failed to notice.
Spatial orientation (the inverse being spatial disorientation, aka spatial-D) is the ability to maintain body orientation and posture in relation to the surrounding environment (physical space) at rest and during motion. Humans have evolved to maintain spatial orientation on the ground.
The Day the Music Died, spatial disorientation (controversial) Flash Airlines Flight 604, the leans (controversial) Gulf Air Flight 072, head-up illusion; Mount Erebus disaster, false visual reference illusion (featureless terrain indistinguishable from sky) Richard Rockefeller#Death, spatial disorientation
The pilot loses the ability to judge the orientation of their aircraft due to the brain's misperception of spatial cues. The graveyard spiral consists of both physiological and physical components. Mechanical failure is often a result, but generally not a causal factor, as it is the pilot's sense of equilibrium which leads to the spiral dive.
The subject is placed in the swivel chair, blindfolded, then spun about the vertical axis while keeping their head upright or tilted forward or to the side. The subject is then asked to perform tasks such as determine their direction of rotation while blindfolded, or rapidly change the orientation of their head, or attempt to point at a stationary object without blindfold after the chair is ...
The brownout phenomenon causes accidents during helicopter landing and take-off operations in arid desert terrain. Intense, blinding dust clouds stirred up by the helicopter rotor downwash during near-ground flight causes significant flight safety risks from aircraft and ground obstacle collisions, and dynamic rollover due to sloped and uneven terrain. [5]
The Coriolis effect is a concern for pilots and astronauts, where it can cause extreme disorientation. [14] [15] [5] [16] [17] This happens as pilots turn or rotate their aircraft, while also turning their head. It has been noted as difficult to report, as oftentimes the sensation is difficult to describe. [5]