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Researching spatial disorientation

By General Aviation News Staff · January 28, 2025 · Leave a Comment

In a new video posted by FAA Air Surgeon Susan Northrup, she reveals that the FAA’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute is teaming up with researchers at the Naval Medical Research Unit in Dayton, Ohio, to study spatial disorientation.

In the video, she reveals the reasons why: About 10% of all aircraft accidents are caused by spatial disorientation, which accounted for 782 fatalities between 2003 and 2021.

In the links below the video there is one that takes you to a page on the FAA’s website that includes a link to several videos demonstrating spatial disorientation from a graveyard spiral to inversion illusion and more.

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