An operational definition for spatial disorientation

Abstract

Spatial disorientation (SD) is a term which continues to have different meanings for different classes of people involved with aviation. The advent of new terms like "situational awareness" (SA), has only added to the plethora of existing definitions, leading to a difference of opinion among researchers worldwide. Lack of agreement regarding the semantics of SD among various aircraft accident investigators leads to different yardsticks in determining whether or not an accident is SD-related. These definitional differences do not allow for inter-Air Force comparisons of SD accident data, and a valuable opportunity to learn from the experience of others is lost. The authors examine the existing definitions, and propose a new practical operational definition of SD, for use in investigation and classification of aircraft accidents.