Close calls

What you can't hear can still hurt you, as this pilot was shocked to discover, despite due diligence. Only the 'mk1 eyeball' saved the day. Read this close call at   https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2026/07/the-silence-over-kingaroy/ .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unchallenged assumptions about controlled airspace procedures put this pilot in a potentially very dangerous situation. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2026/05/mix-up-in-the-salad-bowl/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A newly minted pilot faces their first in-flight emergency, with the added complication of it happening in tightly controlled airspace. Spoiler: it ended well. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2026/04/perfectly-gauged-response/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all had them: those flights that challenge the plan from the moment the wheels leave the ground. That's when distraction and frustration open the door for error. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2025/12/dont-stop-now/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fundamentals of flight planning do not change, as this classic close call from 2008 demonstrates. A first flight in a new type was a fuel management challenge a young pilot nearly failed. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2026/01/tanks-for-nothing/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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-planning-fail/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The elements humble a newly qualified pilot. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2024/03/earth wind and water/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unpleasant close encounters as a low-hours commercial licence fledgling taught this now experienced airline transport pilot some lasting lessons. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2024/07/head-on-a-swivel/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A quick glance suggested everything would be okay – this was an expectations-driven illusion. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2024/07/bogged-down-in-assumptions/. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Greek mythology, the sirens' seductive voices lured mariners to their deaths. In modern aviation, the siren is pilot fixation, as Luke Bayly was lucky enough to discover early in his training. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2024/06/ignore-the-sirens/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recreational pilot's first flight after learning the basics of navigation unravels into an embarrassment that could have been a disaster. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2024/04/one-wrong-turn/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tiniest change of heading took this pilot out of his comfort zone. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2024/02/planning-for-remote-possibilities/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sticking to a rigid schedule when circumstances have changed is the opposite of safe flight planning. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2023/12/i-didnt-plan-on-that/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This newly minted instructor was jolted out of his complacency by an unexpected thunderstorm. Read the close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2022/01/they-say-it-never-strikes-twice/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A first officer becomes a mere spectator to poor cockpit decision-making and feels the cold hand of fear. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2023/10/the-ice-bucket-challenge/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was heading straight for disaster with 2 passengers on board, when something clicked in. Hear how one pilot learnt his limitations and strengths. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2023/09/dog-legs-and-goat-tracks/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subtle psychological pressures and an unintentional signal almost killed this experienced flier in the first hours of their career. Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2023/08/a-tumble-of-numbers/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.