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  • When the Mind Plays Tricks

Loss of Control–In Flight (LOC-I), Human Factors

When the Mind Plays Tricks

The ongoing problem of spatial disorientation impacts all segments of aviation.

by Ed Brotak | June 17, 2016

On March 10, 2015, a Louisiana Army National Guard helicopter crashed into Santa Rosa Sound just east of Pensacola, Florida, U.S., while on a nighttime training mission from Hulbert Field. Both pilots and nine other National Guard personnel were killed. The investigation by the Louisiana Army National Guard and U.S. Special Operations Command found no signs of mechanical problems with the aircraft, and investigators concluded that the pilots experienced spatial disorientation due to the fog that covered the area. The two experienced pilots lost control of the aircraft while it was in a normal horizontal flight attitude.


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