An Overview Of Spatial Disorientation As A Factor In Aviation Accidents And Incidents

"Flying an aircraft is a challenging activity that exposes pilots to many potential hazards. One of the most significant of these is spatial disorientation. Spatial disorientation is a condition where the pilot is unable to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed in relation to the Earth. The resulting disorientation can lead to a loss of control of the aircraft. [...] The ATSB report explains that the chances of a spatial disorientation event occurring in flight can be reduced by a series of simple preventive measures, many of which can be attended to before flight. These include flying when fit and well to do so, not flying under the influence of alcohol or medications, avoiding visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions, increasing awareness of spatial disorientation illusions and planning for their possible appearance at different stages of flight in the pre-flight planning process."--Publisher's website.

Human error is implicated in nearly all aviation accidents, yet most investigation and prevention programs are not designed around any theoretical framework of human error. Appropriate for all levels of expertise, the book provides the knowledge and tools required to conduct a human error analysis of accidents, regardless of operational setting (i.e. military, commercial, or general aviation). The book contains a complete description of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), which incorporates James Reason's model of latent and active failures as a foundation. Widely disseminated among military and civilian organizations, HFACS encompasses all aspects of human error, including the conditions of operators and elements of supervisory and organizational failure. It attracts a very broad readership. Specifically, the book serves as the main textbook for a course in aviation accident investigation taught by one of the authors at the University of Illinois. This book will also be used in courses designed for military safety officers and flight surgeons in the U.S. Navy, Army and the Canadian Defense Force, who currently utilize the HFACS system during aviation accident investigations. Additionally, the book has been incorporated into the popular workshop on accident analysis and prevention provided by the authors at several professional conferences world-wide. The book is also targeted for students attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University which has satellite campuses throughout the world and offers a course in human factors accident investigation for many of its majors. In addition, the book will be incorporated into courses offered by Transportation Safety International and the Southern California Safety Institute. Finally, this book serves as an excellent reference guide for many safety professionals and investigators already in the field.

Vision is the dominant sense used by pilots and visual misperception has been identified as the primary contributing factor in numerous aviation mishaps, resulting in hundreds of fatalities and major resource loss. Despite physiological limitations for sensing and perceiving their aviation environment, pilots can often make the required visual judgments with a high degree of accuracy and precision. At the same time, however, visual illusions and misjudgments have been cited as the probable cause of numerous aviation accidents, and in spite of technological and instructional efforts to remedy some of the problems associated with visual perception in aviation, mishaps of this type continue to occur. Clearly, understanding the role of visual perception in aviation is key to improving pilot performance and reducing aviation mishaps. This book is the first dedicated to the role of visual perception in aviation, and it provides a comprehensive, single-source document encompassing all aspects of aviation visual perception. Thus, this book includes the foundations of visual and vestibular sensation and perception; how visual perceptual abilities are assessed in pilots; the pilot's perspective of visual flying; a summary of human factors research on the visual guidance of flying; examples of specific visual and vestibular illusions and misperceptions; mishap analyses from military, commercial and general aviation; and, finally, how this knowledge is being used to better understand visual perception in aviation's next generation. Aviation Visual Perception: Research, Misperception and Mishaps is intended to be used for instruction in academia, as a resource for human factors researchers, design engineers, and for instruction and training in the pilot community.

This edited textbook is a fully updated and expanded version of the highly successful first edition of Human Factors in Aviation. Written for the widespread aviation community - students, engineers, scientists, pilots, managers, government personnel, etc., HFA offers a comprehensive overview of the topic, taking readers from the general to the specific, first covering broad issues, then the more specific topics of pilot performance, human factors in aircraft design, and vehicles and systems. The new editors offer essential breath of experience on aviation human factors from multiple perspectives (i.e. scientific research, regulation, funding agencies, technology, and implementation) as well as knowledge about the science. The contributors are experts in their fields. Topics carried over from the first edition are fully updated, several by new authors who are now at the fore of the field. New material - which represents 50% of the volume - focuses on the challenges facing aviation specialists today. One of the most significant developments in this decade has been NextGen, the Federal Aviation Administration's plan to modernize national airspace and to address the impact of air traffic growth by increasing airspace capacity and efficiency while simultaneously improving safety, environmental impacts and user access. NextGen issues are covered in full. Other new topics include: High Reliability Organizational Perspective, Situation Awareness & Workload in Aviation, Human Error Analysis, Human-System Risk Management, LOSA, NOSS and Unmanned Aircraft System. Comprehensive text with up-to-date synthesis of primary source material that does not need to be supplemented New edition thoroughly updated with 50% new material and full coverage of NexGen and other modern issues Instructor website with test bank and image collection makes this the only text offering ancillary support Liberal use of case examples exposes readers to real-world examples of dangers and solutions

Since the 1950s, a number of specialized books dealing with human factors has been published, but very little in aviation. Human Factors in Aviation is the first comprehensive review of contemporary applications of human factors research to aviation. A "must" for aviation professionals, equipment and systems designers, pilots, and managers--with emphasis on definition and solution of specific problems. General areas of human cognition and perception, systems theory, and safety are approached through specific topics in aviation--behavioral analysis of pilot performance, cockpit automation, advancing display and control technology, and training methods.

This book provides a detailed general overview of the human factors and performance limitations associated with flying fast jets, integrating all the latest available research literature on the demanding operational tasks faced by such pilots and aircrews. As such, it has a strong military focus, dealing with pilots of fighter aircraft, attack aircraft and lead-in fighter trainer aircraft that are traditionally only single or dual pilot operations. The book deals not only with the issue of G force, but discusses ejection and escape/survival, disorientation, high altitude physiology, pilot training and selection, helmet-mounted equipment, situational awareness, data fusion and multi-sensor integration, human machine interface issues and advanced cockpit design. It examines the human performance issues associated with the technological advances made in fast jets, such as increased manoeuvrability, increased use of the pilot’s head as a mounting platform for sensor and weapons systems, and the complexities involved in the human-machine interface within these aircraft.

Since the very earliest years of aviation, it was clear that human factors were critical to the success and safety of the system. As aviation has matured, the system has become extremely complex. Bringing together the most recent human factors work in the aviation domain, Advances in Human Aspects of Aviation covers the design of aircrafts for the comfort and well being of the passenger. The book discusses strategies and guidelines for maximizing comfort, the design of aircrafts including cockpit design, and the training and work schedules for flight attendants and pilots. It is becoming increasingly important to view problems not as isolated issues that can be extracted from the system environment, but as embedded issues that can only be understood as a part of an overall system. In keeping with a system that is vast in its scope and reach, the chapters in this book cover a wide range of topics, including: Interface and operations issues from the perspectives of pilots and air traffic controllers, respectively. Specific human performance issues, studied from within the context of the air transportation system Issues related to automation and the delineation of function between automation and human within the current and future system The U.S. air traffic modernization effort, called NextGen Diverse modeling perspectives and methods Safety and ethics as driving factors for change Cognition and work overload Empirical research and evaluation of the air transportation domain As air traffic modernization efforts begin to vastly increase the capacity of the system, the issues facing engineers, scientists, and other practitioners of human factors are becoming more challenging and more critical. Reflecting road themes and trends in this field, the book documents the latest research in this area.