The somatogravic illusion (SI) cannot be taught in the air. The standard IF syllabus demonstrates the corilis effect and the somatogral illusuion, but the SI cannot be taught in either aircraft or simulators. To induce it, you need a sustained peripd of acceleration and experience shows that if you are expecting it, it's not going to happen to you. It can only be taught in the groundschool phase with advice on how to counter it. Mitigating strategies such as making sure you stay on instruments and don't descend on take off or during a go-around can be introduced in night and IF syllabi, but demonstrating it effectively has so far eluded the flying training systems.
I have been conducting some research into the SI and have come up with some interesting facts.
First, it's nearly impossible to adequately train for in practical terms. This, is mentioned above.
Second, it's been killing people for years and it continues to. I have details of about 200 crashes where the SI is a probable cause of a crash, but there are undoubtedly many more, as the SI is often not understood or identified by accident investigators, and for the sobering statistic that the fatality rate for SI accidents is about 85%. Pilots don't generally live to tell the tale!
Third, many pilots are aware of the illusion, but fail to recognise it when it happens to them. This is because it is a dim and distant memory from their Human Factors and Performance syllabus - if they did it! Don't forget, HPF was only really introduced as a mandatory subject in the early 1990s.
In my opinion, this crash is a classic SI case.
Last edited by Dan Winterland; 21st Nov 2013 at 01:25.
Reason: Added text