FROM THE ARCHIVES | Spatial Disorientation (2001)

"An erroneous sense of one's position and motion with respect to the ground is the most lethal general aviation accident precursor. This video introduces you to many faces of spatial disorientation and suggests practical strategies and tactics for cooping with this acknowledged killer." (2001)

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[notoverlyacerbic]

I absolutely love these old ASI videos!
They have that early 90's, true story combined with recreations made by terrible actors, thing nailed.
The messages are always spot on..
The whole package is so good.

[PureGlide]

That's so nice of Troy McClure to help out with this

[liamb]

The initial portion of the video is actual ATC audio from a real accident near Albuquerque, NM on January 20, 1999. After the frequency change to 127.4, the last words the pilot broadcast on frequency were: "Nine November Lima, we're going down. We're dead."

[bigBflyer]

There should be no shame or hesitation in declaring an emergency in any of these situations. Be clear and concise with exactly what you need from ATC. “I’ve lost my flight instruments. I need headings and an altitude that will get me to a nearby airport with VFR weather.” Stay calm and prepare by getting some BAI training while in your private training. Don’t take chances if the weather is marginal vfr and you aren’t ifr rated.

[Spartan]

VFR into IMC leaves you with 180 seconds to live. Spatial disorientation is very deadly which is why it's so heavily reinforced in modern flight training.

[scarybaldguy]

"Trust your instruments."
Instruments: *fail*
"Ignore your instruments!"

[Yakki_Lynn]

I love these old archived videos! 😭 So nostalgic.

[klasmova]

scary shit. it’s crazy how it sounds like ATC wasn’t really aware of the severity of the situation either.

-in retrospect, I did not intend to generalize all of ATC in this comment, I just feel as though the controllers in this video could have done more provided the situation

[Shardith]

I've been in the soup many times with my pilot dad and the disorientation is very real. Your can feel like you're turning when you're straight and level, and feel like you're going straight when you're in a turn.

[jonathankleinow]

8:20 "Simon radio, it's kind of marginal here with low ceilings, but the forecast was for VFR. I'd like to speak to your manager."

[amazingazblo]

"How Can They Get Lost, They got One Road on the Island" Killed me 🤣🤣This is why I love Archives, They Bring a Fun Way of Learning something in a good way

[zaggoth]

We need an accident investigation report on this acting.

[CameTo]

About 20 years ago I visited the ATC @ Manchester Airport, and the guy showing me round said they only took controllers that were also pilots. I'm not sure if this is a UK wide requirement, or just local decision, but the opening of this video shows why in the heat of the moment it's crucial - especially when you consider the pilot is likely overloaded at this point, and despite trying to play it cool, really needs help & fast

[olympiashorts]

"He lost his vacuum pumps or whatever". Sheesh. She should have declared an emergency for him and gotten some help from a controller who actually knew what this meant. "He has vacuum tube lossage"..."Vacuum tube lossage, mmhmm". Wow, I don't know what to say. This, on the heels of him saying "I think we're in a spin". Holy hell. This guy needed everything ATC could throw at him. Speed callouts, heading deviations of more than a few degrees, altitude changes of more than 50 ft would have helped him stay focussed on flying the plane. This ho-hum approach is crazy. I half expected him to have to say "our wings have fallen off" before the gravity of the situation was recognized.

[TheSimCaptain]

Let's get this straight. The pilot at 10:40 kept to VFR in VMC, but flew into a tower because he wasn't looking? That's nothing to do with spatial disorientation.

[rustydomino]

man this video had me on the edge of my seat

[baddadjoker]

I think ATC should at least have to go through a private pilot ground school with refreshers every few years. The controller was clueless. The pilot could have communicated the severity of the situation better.

[octaviovaladaoferreirinhad]

I am an atc, and guys, there is no place in the world where controllers are required to understand aircraft systems or even basic aerodynamics. Most of my coworkers would not understand how serious the loss of both vacuum pumps is during an IFR flight. Do not expect atc to evaluate the problem, declare emergency, squawk 7700 and request help.

[Lifebackmed]

To all the people talking about how kitschy the video is, let me tell you, this stuff is real. Special disorientation will totally mess you up. It’s absolutely wild how much it takes over your body

[nian]

What a shame that the first pilot didn't try to save himself by declaring an emergency. Maybe pilots should be taught that ATC are not mind-readers, since this is apparently not clear to some of them.