Close calls
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
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The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is a government body that regulates Australian aviation safety. We license pilots, register aircraft and oversee safety.
Recent Episodes
FEB 11, 2026
Don't stop now
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/.
7 MIN
FEB 5, 2026
Tanks for nothing
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/2025/12/tanks-for-nothing/.
7 MIN
NOV 2, 2025
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/.
4 MIN
OCT 8, 2025
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/
7 MIN
AUG 26, 2025
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/.
5 MIN
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