Regional Differences in Virtual Reality Aircraft Walk-Around Inspection Performance: Accuracy, Completion Time, and Spatial Ability

Aircraft walk-around inspection is a safety-critical task where human error plays a significant contributing role in maintenance-related incidents. Using immersive virtual reality (VR) for preparation has been suggested, but the effect of ergonomic complexity, defined as the postural and visual-search demands imposed by aircraft zone geometry, on inspection errors is unknown. This research applies a quasi-experimental within-subjects design (intact class, no randomization) to evaluate differences in novice trainee error rates between front-side and rear-side aircraft zone inspections applying an immersive VR aircraft inspection task (N = 40, aeronautical engineering students). The rear-side inspection scenario shows lower accuracy (p = 0.002, Cohen’s dz = 0.52) and longer completion time (p < 0.001, Cohen’s dz = 0.65) than the front-side scenario. Missed-defect rates and error-type frequencies are examined descriptively without an independent significance test of error-type composition. Spatial ability positively correlates with inspection accuracy (r = 0.62, p < 0.001). The findings indicate performance differences between the two simulated inspection scenarios, although the contributions of ergonomic complexity and other task characteristics could not be determined independently. Lastly, immersive VR may offer a viable preparatory training environment for identifying region-specific performance vulnerabilities and for identifying trainees who may benefit from additional preparation prior to on-aircraft hands-on practice.