What Is That Illusion
A false sensation of banking caused by a sudden correction from a turn.
The Leans
This sense provides ~80% of orientation information in flight.
Vision
The #1 way to prevent spatial disorientation is trusting these.
Flight instruments
The body’s inability to correctly interpret position, motion, or attitude.
Spatial disorientation
Approx. % of disorientation-related accidents that are fatal.
90%
The illusion where acceleration makes you feel nose-up, leading to pushing the nose down.
Somatogravic Illusion
This inner ear structure detects angular acceleration.
Semicircular canals
Avoiding sudden head movements reduces risk of this illusion.
Coriolis illusion
Movement sensation caused by inner ear fluid shifts.
Vestibular illusion
A spiraling dive that can happen when you become disoriented and little to no visual reference to the horizon.
Graveyard Spiral
A prolonged constant-rate turn followed by correction can create this disorienting illusion.
Coriolis Illusion
The otolith organs detect these two forces.
Gravity and linear acceleration
The FAA warns against this deadly trap: flying VFR into IMC.
VFR into IMC
A false horizon created by sloping cloud layers, terrain, or lights at night is called this.
False horizon illusion
Number of seconds the FAA says a pilot can survive without visual reference.
178 seconds
On approach to an upslope runway, the pilot may fly too low because of this illusion.
Runway slope illusion
The vestibular system is located here.
Inner ear
Maintaining this discipline prevents disorientation in IMC. The FAA warns against this deadly trap: flying VFR into IMC.
Instrument cross-check
The type of illusion caused by featureless terrain at night making the runway look far away.
Black hole illusion
This many sensory systems help pilots orient themselves.
Three
At night, featureless terrain can cause the runway to appear farther away than it is.
Black hole illusion
This sense, often unreliable in flight, detects balance and acceleration.
Vestibular
How do you recover from unusual attitudes?
"Blue Power through, Brown Power down"
FAA describes illusions as failures of this system.
Sensory system
This weather condition is most commonly linked with disorientation accidents.
Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC)