title: Classification problems of U.S. Air Force spatial disorientation accidents, 1989-91.
abstract: Spatial disorientation (SD) continues to contribute to a fairly constant proportion of military aircraft accidents. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) fielded a new accident investigation reporting form in July 1989, which for the first time specified Type I SD, Type II SD, and Type III SD as possible causes of aircraft accidents. Of a total of 91 major accidents that occurred over the 2-year period beginning in October 1989, SD was rated as contributing significantly to 13 (14%). Coding for SD on accident investigation reporting forms was not consistent, however. Individual flight surgeons differed in their approaches to coding accidents as SD-related; other differences were noted between flight surgeons and pilots, and additional procedural differences resulted in inconsistent reporting over time. There is a consensus that SD represents a major problem in military aviation, but a scientific approach to this important problem would be facilitated if agreement could be reached on definitional and semantic issues.
authors.affiliation: Armstrong Laboratory Crew Systems Directorate, Brooks AFB, TX.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Ercoline
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Gillingham
mesh_terms: D000060:Accidents, Aviation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D009949:Orientation; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000145:classification; D013028:Space Perception; D014481:United States