Visual Illusion (Essay Sample)

Visual Illusion
Avion Jones
Instructor
Institution
Date
Summary of the Case
In March 2016, the crew of Flydubai Flight 981 set off aboard the plane towards the city of Rostov in Russia from Dubai. The weather was quite inclement all the way, with a lot of fog and gusty winds. The weather was even worse at the destination, as the winds were too strong, going at speeds of almost 40mph. Landing was still possible but extremely dangerous since the winds would easily lead the plane into a tailspin. The crew decided to perform some maneuvers in order to force a safe landing against the strong winds. Each time they tried, the wild winds always kept forcing them to go back up again. Then suddenly, the plane came from the sky, nosediving to the ground at a steep angle and hit the ground in a huge fireball, killing all on board (Wise, 2016).
Problem Statement
Visual illusion is usually quite a serious challenge in the aviation industry since it entails one’s senses playing games on them; and yet these are the senses the pilot should be dependent on during flight.
Significance of the Problem
As initially noted, visual illusion is quite scary and a huge challenge. A pilot’s senses constitute an important element in aviation and can be the difference between an amateur and an expert pilot. This therefore becomes quite a problem when the same senses become a cause for concern and a lethal risk to the crew in air. Visual illusion is a significant problem in the aviation industry because it sets up an entire research and design team that is geared towards finding ways of minimizing the risks involved. Visual illusion is also of significance since it helps investigations to be more thorough in case of a mishap.
In this case, the flights crew experienced a somatogravic illusion; after the aborted landing, the plane feels lighter as it goes back up. This can make the pilot to further push the thrust up. If the pilot can see the ground, then the illusion is less and it is safe. However, if still in the clouds, it becomes a bit complicated as one’s senses can easily be messed up (Gibb, Gray & Scharff, 2016). The vestibular system in the body will take note of the linear acceleration, but with limited visual ability, the brain won’t know the actual flight path; instead taking it as a pitch-up event. This in its entirety, is a visual illusion, and one that most likely led to the crash of Flydubai Flight 981.
Alternative Actions
The pilot should have engaged