How can you confuse the sky with the ocean? Are not the colors a little different? Or was there another reason for JFk' juinors"s airplane to go down that day?
2007-07-27 03:05:07 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
During dusk and dawn hours they are not that different. And sometimes the sun reflects off the sea, creating an illusion that it is the sky.
This is often called Spacial Disorientation. About 40% of Gereral Aviation accidents occur because of this phenomona. Also Flicker Vertego, which is a phenemona that occurs the you are flying twoards a setting sun with a low spinning propeller also disorientates you more and creates nausia. Pilots can also loose some of their Vestibular system. These are a series of canals that tell up from down and sideways motion in our ears.
Furthermore, on JFK jr's flight the sky was hazy. This created a chain of factors, combined with his low time flying on instruments.
2007-07-27 03:15:26 · answer #1 · answered by Charles 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a pilot but I can see how the two can be easily blend into one another.
I'm a native New Yorker and I used to fly into and out of JFK often.
There's one approach into JFK that stays over the ocean following the Jersey shore south and then makes two lefts to line up with a NE/SW oriented runway.
If you're sitting by a window on a calm gray overcast day , when the plane banks for those last two turns you honestly cannot tell where the sky ends and the ocean begins because they're the same color.
2007-07-27 11:06:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to feel the same way. You would be absolutely amazed how everything blends into one uniform color if the weather is hazy, the lighting is poor, or if it's pitch black flying over the ocean - no horizon at all. Trust me, this can (and does) happen all the time.
2007-07-27 04:45:37 · answer #3 · answered by Jim 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In most cases what you are saying is true. However, when it is overcast and a bit misty, the conditions just so...it can be a problem. You will need to talk to some pilots about this. I hope that a pilot answers this for you....
2007-07-27 03:14:25 · answer #4 · answered by Goddess of Laundry 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all it was night, not day. They flew into an area of fog, in which case the color of anything does not matter.
2007-07-27 06:22:26 · answer #5 · answered by eferrell01 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
part of GW bush diabolical plan to destroy liberals..
2007-07-27 03:10:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋