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- From Frederick M. Fox <telarion@earthlink.net
From Betty Martini <Mission-Possible-USA@altavista.net
7-22-99
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- Dear Betty,
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- Among other things, one wonders if he was a user of Aspartame
products, such as diet drinks. I hope not. Right off the bat I think I
know what happened to him. He was trying to fly VFR in night/haze condictions.
He was at 2200 feet and had to make a left descending turn into the airport.
That airport evidently does not have a control tower and you have to dial
in a radio frequency and then key the mike a number of times to turn on
the airport runway lights.
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- If he turned his head to the right for any amount of
time, he realigned his inner ear. When he turned back to the left, his
inner ear signaled that he was in a right climbing turn, so he automatically
went in a left descending turn. Things started to unwind fast and not being
instrument rated, he probably paniced as he saw the altimeter unwant, and
did the only instinctual thing---pull back on the stick. At this point
in time he was on his back and "split S'ed" at a high rate (4700
FPM) into the water. This is consistent with the radar reports.
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- I remember in my early Navy flying experiencing this.
Also, in the chair they use in aviation physiology to show how vertigo
is induced.
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- Thought you might like to see this explanation, which
hasn't been on the news. Also, when you turn and bank a plane, you must
sync yourself with the bank angle (learn into the turn, our you will be
out of sync with the aircraft, giving you false inner ear inputs.
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- Regards,
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- F.M. Fox, Captain, American Airlines, Retired. 39 years
of flying experience. 15 aircraft flown
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