Performance of Helicopter Pilots During Inadvertent Flight Into Instrument Meteorological Conditions

Abstract

Inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) is a major cause of general aviation accidents. However, performance of helicopter pilots during inadvertent IMC encounters has not been investigated. We developed objective methods to quantify helicopter pilot effort and performance and applied these to simulated flight into IMC. Results showed strong effects of visibility and weaker effects of altitude and airspeed. The analyses revealed important information regarding the relationships among visibility, altitude, airspeed, aircraft performance, and pilot effort. Short training sessions produced significant performance improvements. The methods developed for quantifying pilot effort and performance can be applied to myriad investigations of pilot performance.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was supported by a grant to Michael A. Crognale from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (05-G-108). Silver State Helicopters Flight Academy in Sacramento, California, also donated valuable time and resources.