FAA Issues New Guidance on Spatial Disorientation Training for All US Pilots

USA – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued new guidance recommending comprehensive Spatial Disorientation (SD) training for all pilots, emphasizing both theoretical and practical instruction to address one of aviation’s most persistent human factors contributing to accidents.

• Released on January 22, 2026, via an Information for Operators (InFO), the recommendation follows a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) directive stemming from the high-profile 2020 helicopter accident in Calabasas, California, where SD was identified as a contributing factor.
• The FAA’s Spatial Disorientation Training Workgroup (SDT WG) evaluated simulation technologies and training approaches, culminating in recommendations focused on prevention, recognition, and recovery from SD scenarios.
• With 80% of aviation accidents linked to human factors, the FAA calls for enhanced SD awareness and structured training beyond current regulatory requirements.
• Training is encouraged to include both scenario-based simulations—mimicking real-world disorientation triggers—and maneuver-based exercises to isolate specific SD-inducing conditions in controlled settings.
• Ground training should cover physiological aspects of SD, including how conflicting sensory inputs (vestibular, visual, proprioceptive) impact pilot perception.
• Practical training may be delivered in full-flight simulators, spatial disorientation-specific devices, or actual flight using view-limiting devices under instructor supervision.
• Emphasis is also placed on refresher training, instrument scanning techniques, and cross-checking multiple data sources, as well as geographic and environmental risk awareness (e.g., mountainous terrain, night ops, fog-prone regions).
• Key safety strategies include trusting flight instruments over sensory input, making controlled movements, communicating with ATC, using autopilot when available, and regaining visual references when safe to do so.

Statements

• “Given that approximately 80 percent of all aviation accidents involve human factors3 , the FAA recommends a greater focus on SD training beyond the scope of current guidelines. SD training should emphasize avoidance of conditions where SD can occur, as well as recognition of onset and recovery from SD events,”noted the FAA.

Check out the full guidance  here  .

Source: FAA