Flying at night demands extra concentration and skill

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Kennedy tragedy

July 20, 1999
Web posted at: 6:58 p.m. EDT (2258 GMT)

By CNN Correspondent Charles Feldman

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane disappeared while he was piloting the aircraft along the East Coast at night, a challenging time for pilots. With the horizon obscured in the dark, a pilot easily can become disoriented and lose control of the aircraft.

Pilots most at risk are those without a lot of night flying experience or without experience flying on instruments.

Pilot and CNN Correspondent Charles Feldman teamed with Clark Harrell, a flight instructor and former Air Force pilot, to demonstrate the dangers that night flying can present.

Climbing up from the Long Beach, California, airport, they saw a dazzling light show in the direction of Los Angeles. But when they banked the plane and pointed it toward the ocean, the darkness obscured the horizon separating the sky from the water.

The blackness of night makes it almost impossible to tell up from down without the aid of the aircraft's instruments. As a test, Feldman closed his eyes so he could not rely on the instruments. He tried to figure out what the pilot was doing with the small single-engine plane.

"Feels like we're banking to the left -- slight climb," said Feldman.

"Actually, just the opposite," responded Clark. "We're banking to the right and a few feet of descent."

"At night, our senses actually trick us into thinking we're flying straight and level when in fact we're banking, descending or climbing," Clark said.

Flight instructors say that to fly safely at night it is helpful for the pilot to have instrument training and practice in recovering from unusual attitudes.

But the most critical thing they say a pilot needs to ensure a safe landing at night is lots of good judgment.

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