Sensory illusions in aviation
Human senses are not naturally geared for the inflight environment. Pilots may experience disorientation and loss of perspective, creating illusions that range from false horizons to sensory conflict with instrument readings or the misjudging of altitude over water.
false visual reference illusion (upsloping cloud tops)
1965 Carmel mid-air collision
spatial disorientation (controversial)
1999 Martha's Vineyard plane crash
graveyard spiral (pilots preoccupied with unrelated equipment failure)
Adam Air Flight 574
black-hole approach illusion
Alitalia Flight 4128
black-hole approach illusion
AIRES Flight 8250
the leans
Air India Flight 855
head-up illusion
Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771
head-up illusion
Atlas Air Flight 3591
the leans
Copa Airlines Flight 201
spatial disorientation (controversial)
The Day the Music Died
the leans (controversial)
Flash Airlines Flight 604
head-up illusion
Gulf Air Flight 072
false visual reference illusion (featureless terrain indistinguishable from sky)
Mount Erebus disaster
spatial disorientation
Richard Rockefeller#Death
the leans (secondary to electrical fire and multiple equipment failures)
Swissair Flight 111
head-up illusion
Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363
black-hole approach illusion
VASP Flight 168
head-up illusion (secondary to instrument failure)