Plain English Meaning

When you fly toward a runway over dark or empty ground at night, your eyes have nothing to judge height against, so the runway looks farther below you than it really is. You end up flying lower than you should — sometimes dangerously low.

Full Definition

A visual illusion, also known as the 'black hole approach,' in which an approach to a runway over an area without surface features — such as water, dark terrain, or featureless ground — creates the impression that the airplane is higher than it actually is, leading the pilot to fly a lower-than-normal approach.

Context Anchor

Encountered during night landings or descents over dark, flat, snow-covered, or unlighted where the runway or has .