Listen to the short incident narration below. Before you press play, read the six sentences in Your dictation task — they tell the story out of order. Then listen once for the whole picture, listen again to confirm the sequence, and write the correct order. Replay as many times as you need, then check your answer against the key.
Before you listen — key vocabulary
- go-around (n.) — when a pilot abandons a landing attempt and climbs away to try again; “Europa 452 initiated a go-around from runway 12”. Stress: GO-a-round
- compressor surge (n.) — a sudden disruption of airflow through a jet engine, causing a loud bang or vibration; “the crew identified a compressor surge on the right engine”. Stress: com-PRES-sor surge
- priority circuit (n. phrase) — a shortened flight path giving one aircraft priority over others in the traffic pattern; “requesting a priority circuit to land without delay”. Stress: pri-OR-i-ty CIR-cuit
Your goal: listen for six events in the correct order — from the go-around to the safe landing.
Your dictation task
The six sentences below are in the wrong order. Listen to the audio and write the correct sequence (e.g. F–D–A–C–E–B). Listen once for the whole picture first — then replay to confirm the position of each sentence.
- A. The captain took the emergency checklist while the first officer maintained control of the aircraft, but a restart attempt was unsuccessful — the engine continued to vibrate abnormally.
- B. The aircraft landed safely, and emergency services stood by on the runway as a precaution.
- C. The captain declared a PAN-PAN, informing Dubrovnik Approach of the single-engine situation and requesting a priority circuit.
- D. The crew immediately checked their instruments and identified a compressor surge on the right engine.
- E. With the affected engine now secured, the crew configured for a single-engine approach.
- F. Europa 452, an A320, was on a go-around from runway 12 at Dubrovnik when a loud bang shook the airframe.
Europa 452, an A320, was on a go-around from runway 12 at Dubrovnik when a loud bang shook the airframe. The crew immediately checked their instruments and identified a compressor surge on the right engine. The captain took the emergency checklist while the first officer maintained control of the aircraft, but a restart attempt was unsuccessful — the engine continued to vibrate abnormally. The captain declared a PAN-PAN, informing Dubrovnik Approach of the single-engine situation and requesting a priority circuit. With the affected engine now secured, the crew configured for a single-engine approach. The aircraft landed safely, and emergency services stood by on the runway as a precaution.
Listen again with the transcript and notice the phrase “With the affected engine now secured” — it signals a completed action (engine off and safe) before describing the crew’s next step. This linking structure is common in formal incident narration.
- F — Europa 452, an A320, was on a go-around from runway 12 at Dubrovnik when a loud bang shook the airframe.
- D — The crew immediately checked their instruments and identified a compressor surge on the right engine.
- A — The captain took the emergency checklist while the first officer maintained control of the aircraft, but a restart attempt was unsuccessful — the engine continued to vibrate abnormally. ⬅ Note: the checklist and restart attempt come before the PAN-PAN — not after.
- C — The captain declared a PAN-PAN, informing Dubrovnik Approach of the single-engine situation and requesting a priority circuit.
- E — With the affected engine now secured, the crew configured for a single-engine approach.
- B — The aircraft landed safely, and emergency services stood by on the runway as a precaution.
- airframe (n.) — the structural body of the aircraft, not including the engines; “a loud bang shook the airframe”. Stress: AIR-frame
- vibrate abnormally (v. phrase) — to shake in a way that is not expected, signalling a fault inside the engine; “the engine continued to vibrate abnormally”
- PAN-PAN (interj.) — the international urgency radio call; the situation is serious and requires assistance, but is not immediately life-threatening (unlike MAYDAY); “the captain declared a PAN-PAN”. Pronounced: pan pan
- secured (adj., past part.) — shut down and made safe, with all related systems isolated; “with the affected engine now secured”. Stress: se-CURED
- configured for (v. phrase) — set up the aircraft systems and controls to prepare for a specific flight phase; “the crew configured for a single-engine approach”. Stress: con-FIG-ured
- stand by (v. phrase) — to wait in a state of readiness to act immediately if needed; “emergency services stood by as a precaution”
Speaking follow-up
You are the first officer of Europa 452. In about 45 seconds, describe what happened during the go-around — the noise you heard, what the checklist revealed, and what the captain decided to do.
If a word won’t come, describe around it or use a filler and keep talking — staying fluent matters more than the perfect word. Record yourself on a phone voice memo and play it back; there’s no single right answer — aim for a clear, structured response under time pressure. Then record it once more, keeping going for the full time with fewer long pauses, and compare the two takes.
Record your response, play it back, and rate each skill Yes / Almost / Not yet. Then re-record to improve your weakest area.
- Pronunciation — Did I say compressor surge, PAN-PAN, and configured clearly and with the right stress?
- Structure — Did I describe events in order: the go-around → the bang → the checklist → the decision → the landing?
- Vocabulary — Did I use key words from the audio: go-around, compressor surge, PAN-PAN, single-engine approach, secured?
- Fluency — Did I keep talking for 40–50 seconds without long pauses?
- Comprehension — Did my response show I understood why the PAN-PAN was declared (engine couldn’t restart; aircraft now single-engine), and what “securing” the engine means?
Level: CEFR B2 / ICAO Level 5
For another cockpit emergency in a listening exercise, try Roleplay: Engine Fire on Takeoff from Gatwick — a Format C roleplay where you step into the pilot’s seat and respond to ATC in real time.