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Aircraft and related factors in crashes involving spatial disorientation: 15 years of U.S. Air Force data.
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2006 Jul; 77(7):720-3.AS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies have determined that spatial disorientation (SD) causes 0.5-23% of aircraft crashes, but SD-related crash and fatality rates in different aircraft types have not been systematically studied.

METHODS

SD crashes for the fiscal years 1990 to 2004 and aircraft sortie numbers for all U.S. Air Force (USAF) aircraft were obtained from the USAF Safety Center. Contingency table analysis and Chi-squared tests were used to evaluate differences in SD rates.

RESULTS

SD accounted for 11% of USAF crashes with an overall rate of 2.9 per million sorties and a crash fatality rate of 69%. The SD rate was higher in fighter/attack aircraft and helicopters than in training and transport aircraft. The risk of SD was increased at night with 23% of night crashes being caused by SD. But the SD rate and crash fatality rate were not higher in single-crewmember aircraft.

DISCUSSION

SD risk is significantly increased in helicopters and fighter/attack aircraft and at night. The data suggest that a second crewmember does not protect against SD. Further study of specific SD scenarios could lead to focused interventions for SD prevention.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Lyons TJ
Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development, Tokyo, Japan. lyonst@aoard.af.mil
Ercoline W
No affiliation info available
O'Toole K
No affiliation info available
Grayson K
No affiliation info available

MeSH

Accidents, AviationAircraftConfusionEquipment DesignHumansMilitary PersonnelOrientationSpace PerceptionUnited States

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

16856357

Citation

Lyons, Terence J., et al. "Aircraft and Related Factors in Crashes Involving Spatial Disorientation: 15 Years of U.S. Air Force Data." Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, vol. 77, no. 7, 2006, pp. 720-3.
Lyons TJ, Ercoline W, O'Toole K, et al. Aircraft and related factors in crashes involving spatial disorientation: 15 years of U.S. Air Force data. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2006;77(7):720-3.
Lyons, T. J., Ercoline, W., O'Toole, K., & Grayson, K. (2006). Aircraft and related factors in crashes involving spatial disorientation: 15 years of U.S. Air Force data. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 77(7), 720-3.
Lyons TJ, et al. Aircraft and Related Factors in Crashes Involving Spatial Disorientation: 15 Years of U.S. Air Force Data. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2006;77(7):720-3. PubMed PMID: 16856357.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Aircraft and related factors in crashes involving spatial disorientation: 15 years of U.S. Air Force data. AU - Lyons,Terence J, AU - Ercoline,William, AU - O'Toole,Kevin, AU - Grayson,Kevin, PY - 2006/7/22/pubmed PY - 2006/11/15/medline PY - 2006/7/22/entrez SP - 720 EP - 3 JF - Aviation, space, and environmental medicine JO - Aviat Space Environ Med VL - 77 IS - 7 N2 - INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have determined that spatial disorientation (SD) causes 0.5-23% of aircraft crashes, but SD-related crash and fatality rates in different aircraft types have not been systematically studied. METHODS: SD crashes for the fiscal years 1990 to 2004 and aircraft sortie numbers for all U.S. Air Force (USAF) aircraft were obtained from the USAF Safety Center. Contingency table analysis and Chi-squared tests were used to evaluate differences in SD rates. RESULTS: SD accounted for 11% of USAF crashes with an overall rate of 2.9 per million sorties and a crash fatality rate of 69%. The SD rate was higher in fighter/attack aircraft and helicopters than in training and transport aircraft. The risk of SD was increased at night with 23% of night crashes being caused by SD. But the SD rate and crash fatality rate were not higher in single-crewmember aircraft. DISCUSSION: SD risk is significantly increased in helicopters and fighter/attack aircraft and at night. The data suggest that a second crewmember does not protect against SD. Further study of specific SD scenarios could lead to focused interventions for SD prevention. SN - 0095-6562 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/16856357/Aircraft_and_related_factors_in_crashes_involving_spatial_disorientation:_15_years_of_U_S__Air_Force_data_ L2 - https://www.ingentaconnect.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0095-6562&volume=77&issue=7&spage=720&aulast=Lyons DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -