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Aircraft lighting during a night landing in brownout conditions

Remote Pilot (Part 107) practice question 22 of 22 on Operations / Physiology. ACS element UA.V.E.K9 · difficulty: recall. Want to answer it in a timed quiz? Use the Remote Pilot (Part 107) practice mode.

Question bank updated 2026-09-22

QUESTIONDuring a night landing in brownout conditions, what effect can the aircraft's own lighting have?

  1. AIt removes the visual illusions by lighting the terrain below the aircraft
  2. BIt enhances the visual illusions by illuminating the brownout cloud
  3. CIt has no effect because dust does not reflect light
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. It enhances the visual illusions by illuminating the brownout cloud

  • A — incorrect Lighting does not restore the outside visual references lost in a brownout; the guidance says the illusions are made worse, not removed, and the blowing dust still obscures the terrain.
  • B — correct The Aeronautical Information Manual states that in night landings, aircraft lighting can enhance the visual illusions by illuminating the brownout cloud.
  • C — incorrect The dust and sand in the brownout cloud do reflect the aircraft's lighting, which is exactly why the illusions are intensified at night.

BACKGROUND

A brownout is an in-flight visibility restriction caused by dust or sand in the air, and in one the pilot cannot see the nearby objects that supply the outside visual references needed to control the aircraft near the ground. The Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) warns that this leads to spatial disorientation and loss of situational awareness. Blowing sand and dust can also create an illusion of a tilted horizon, and a pilot who levels the aircraft against that false horizon can end up in an accident. The AIM adds that in night landings, aircraft lighting can enhance the visual illusions by illuminating the brownout cloud. A remote pilot flying at night over dusty, sandy, or arid ground should expect the aircraft's own lights to make the obscuration look worse rather than better.

STUDY TIP

Read AIM paragraph 7-6-14 on flat light, brownout, and white out conditions, and note which illusions each condition produces. Remember the direction of the effect: at night, lighting the dust cloud intensifies the illusion instead of clearing it up.

KEY POINTS

  • A brownout restricts visibility with airborne dust or sand and removes the near-ground visual references a pilot needs.
  • Blowing sand and dust can produce an illusion of a tilted horizon that tempts a pilot to level against a false horizon.
  • In night landings, aircraft lighting illuminates the brownout cloud and enhances the visual illusions.

SOURCES

  • AIM 7-6-14 "Flying in Flat Light, Brown Out Conditions, and White Out Conditions"
  • sources/aim/aim_7-6_potential_flight_hazards.txt, Brown Out
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SkyDrill is not affiliated with the FAA. This is an original practice item based on 14 CFR part 107, 14 CFR part 89, and the FAA Remote Pilot – Small UAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22). Regulations and handbooks are revised; confirm details against the current edition.