When must you issue a safety alert?

• A. Only when flight conditions are IFR
• B. When, in your judgment, the pilot of an aircraft is inexperienced and may not be capable of anticipating unsafe situations
• C. When you observe an aircraft in unsafe proximity to terrain, obstructions, or other aircraft
• D. Once every hour

Answer: (C)

A safety alert is a warning to pilots about a potentially dangerous situation, issued when you observe an aircraft in unsafe proximity to terrain, obstructions, or other aircraft. This trigger matters because it directly signals an immediate threat to safe separation, giving pilots a clear prompt to take corrective action.

It isn’t tied to weather conditions like IFR status, nor to judging a pilot’s experience, and it isn’t something done on a fixed hourly schedule. The alert should be issued as soon as the hazard is observed or anticipated, to prevent a possible incident.