A light aircraft with a tinted windshield crashed into a mountain in clear conditions on a moonless night. The pilot's visual capability within the last few minutes of flight is investigated by reference to published visual performance and sky luminance data, coupled with photometric measurements and visual and photographic observations of the crash site and of the cabin of a similar aircraft. It is concluded that cabin lighting could have affected the pilot's vision during the two minutes in which the mountain might have been recognizable, and that the windshield tinting could have caused a further important loss of vision. The method presented is applicable to other aircraft and pilots in the night flying situation. Although the estimates of visual performance should be checked in simulated night flying conditions, there is little doubt that windshield tinting represents an unnecessary hazard in night flying. (Author)
Vision Loss from Windshield Tinting in a Night Visual Flying Accident
1970
6 pages
Report
No indication
English
Vision impairment by worn windshield during night-time driving
Automotive engineering | 1989
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