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AIM 

2. 

Call Sign or Aircraft Registration Number. 

3. 

Type Aircraft. 

4. 

Nearest Major City. 

5. 

Altitude. 

6. 

Location of Event (Latitude/Longitude and/or Fixed Radial Distance (FRD)). 

7. 

Brief Description of the Event and any other Pertinent Information. 

f. 

Pilots are also encouraged to complete the Laser Beam Exposure Questionnaire located on the FAA Laser 

Safety Initiative website at http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/ and submit electronically per the 

directions on the questionnaire, as soon as possible after landing. 

g. 

When a laser event is reported to an air traffic facility, a general caution warning will be broadcasted on 

all appropriate frequencies every five minutes for 20 minutes and broadcasted on the ATIS for one hour following 

the report. 

PHRASEOLOGY

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UNAUTHORIZED LASER ILLUMINATION EVENT, (UTC time), (location), (altitude), (color), (direction). 

EXAMPLE

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“Unauthorized laser illumination event, at 0100z, 8 mile final runway 18R at 3,000 feet, green laser from the southwest.” 

REFERENCE

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FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 10

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2

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14, Unauthorized Laser Illumination of Aircraft. 

FAA Order JO 7210.3, Para 2

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1

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27, Reporting Unauthorized Laser Illumination of Aircraft. 

h. 

When these activities become known to the FAA, Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) are issued to inform 

the aviation community of the events. Pilots should consult NOTAMs or the Chart Supplement for information 

regarding these activities. 

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14.  Flying in Flat Light, Brown Out Conditions, and White Out Conditions 

a.  Flat Light. 

Flat light is an optical illusion, also known as “

sector or partial white out

.” It is not as severe 

as “white out” but the condition causes pilots to lose their depth

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of

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field and contrast in vision. Flat light 

conditions are usually accompanied by overcast skies inhibiting any visual clues. Such conditions can occur 

anywhere in the world, primarily in snow covered areas but can occur in dust, sand, mud flats, or on glassy water. 

Flat light can completely obscure features of the terrain, creating an inability to distinguish distances and closure 

rates. As a result of this reflected light, it can give pilots the illusion that they are ascending or descending when 

they may actually be flying level. However, with good judgment and proper training and planning, it is possible 

to safely operate an aircraft in flat light conditions. 

b.  Brown Out.

 A brownout (or 

brown

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out

) is an in

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flight visibility restriction due to dust or sand in the air. 

In a brownout, the pilot cannot see nearby objects which provide the outside visual references necessary to 

control the aircraft near the ground. This can cause spatial disorientation and loss of situational awareness leading 

to an accident. 

1. 

The following factors will affect the probability and severity of brownout: rotor disk loading, rotor 

configuration, soil composition, wind, approach speed, and approach angle. 

2. 

The brownout phenomenon causes accidents during helicopter landing and take

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off operations in dust, 

fine dirt, sand, or arid desert terrain. Intense, blinding dust clouds stirred up by the helicopter rotor downwash 

during near

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ground flight causes significant flight safety risks from aircraft and ground obstacle collisions, and 

dynamic rollover due to sloped and uneven terrain. 

3. 

This is a dangerous phenomenon experienced by many helicopters when making landing approaches in 

dusty environments, whereby sand or dust particles become swept up in the rotor outwash and obscure the pilot’s 

vision of the terrain. This is particularly dangerous because the pilot needs those visual cues from their 

surroundings in order to make a safe landing. 

Potential Flight Hazards 

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