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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ifr-graveyard-spiral

Which illusion can make a pilot in a long steady turn pull back and tighten a descending spiral?

The graveyard spiral.

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  1. The graveyard spiral ✔
  2. The somatogravic illusion
  3. The coriolis illusion

Why: In a prolonged coordinated turn, the inner ear stops sensing the turn, so the loss of altitude feels like a level descent. Pulling back tightens the spiral and loses even more altitude.

Huh, didn't know that: A disoriented pilot may even return the aircraft to its original turn after levelling.

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References

Answer: The graveyard spiral. In a prolonged coordinated turn, the inner ear stops sensing the turn, so the loss of altitude feels like a level descent. Pulling back tightens the spiral and loses even more altitude.

  1. FAA Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/pilots/FAA-H-8083-15B.pdf
    The absence of any sensation of turning creates the illusion of being in a level descent.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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