Close calls

Circumstances, contingencies and pressure from a passenger push an otherwise conscientious low-hours pilot towards a dangerous decision.

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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/. 

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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/

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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/.

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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/.

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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/.

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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/.

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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/

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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/.

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