Division of attention between aircraft control and orientation.

Bottom line

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) statistics reveal that most stall/spin accidents occurred when the pilot’s attention was diverted from the primary task of flying the aircraft. Many flight deck distractions begin as a minor problem, such as a gauge that is not reading correctly, but result in accidents as the pilot diverts attention to the perceived problem and neglects to properly control the aircraft. Instructor responsibilities include teaching the learner to divide his or her attention between the distracting task and maintaining control of the aircraft.