Close calls
Close calls
Playlist by Close callsThe Civil Aviation Safety Authority is a government body that regulates Australian aviation safety. We license pilots, register aircraft and oversee safety.Follow the podcast:
56 clip(s) in playlist
Fast-thinking fledgling
The textbook reactions of a low-hours pilot facing a deteriorating situation show how ab initio training works – if you listen and take its messages seriously. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/11/fast-thinking-fledging/.
04:55
Blundering through the authority gap
Almost too late, a young pilot learns the importance of assertiveness as part of flight control. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/10/blundering-through-the-authority-gap/
07:14
Reality under pressure
An insidious and subtle failure almost bring's a young commercial pilot's career to a premature end. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/08/reality-under-pressure/.
05:22
Silent scream
Using your ears is a much less stressful way to maintain separation than relying on your eyes alone. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/062/silent-scream/.
04:36
Positive climb
Audio adds a new dimension to this anonymous first officer's close call, first published in 2021. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/05/positive-climb/.
06:35
A brutal hazing
Flight Safety Australia reader Nic Barnes discovers conditions are different in northern Australia. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/03/a-brutal-hazing/.
06:21
Double blind
The source of anxiety was in, or rather on, the pilot's face. But impatience was an even more effective blindfold. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/02/double-blind/.
06:09
Flight planning fail
Nothing emphasises the importance of flight planning like that knotted feeling in your gut when you have failed to do it. This pilot got that feeling when a cascade of minor circumstances overwhelmed a superficial plan. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/01/flight-pl…
06:11
Earth, wind and water
The elements humble a newly qualified pilot. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2024/03/earth wind and water/
07:28
Tropical chill
This is a story of ice. Not ice you put in a drink. Not ice that forms on an aircraft, but ice that can frighten and kill a pilot. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2024/10/tropical-chill/.
06:20