On Friday, August 14, an air traffic controller in Phoenix, Arizona discovered that two American Airlines planes had mistakenly used the same flight number. The two planes were in flight at the time, and the controller quickly took action to ensure that they maintained a safe distance from each other, thus avoiding a potential disaster.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight on Friday. Audio recordings from the incident showed that the controller found a solution to ensure that both aircraft using the call sign “American 2482” maintained a proper separation. At the time, one plane had just taken off from Phoenix, while another plane arriving from Chicago had reached the airspace near the airport.
After the departing aircraft safely left the airspace, the controller stated, “I’ve been working in the air traffic control department for 25 years. I’ve never seen two aircraft with the same call sign almost collide. It’s unbelievable.”
If a controller issues a command and both pilots interpret it as directed towards them, they could potentially fly at the same altitude in opposite directions, leading to a possible collision. Therefore, it is crucial to let them know which aircraft the controller is directing the instructions to.
Fortunately, the controller reacted swiftly and ensured clear instructions were given.
Audio recordings released by the air traffic control website ATC.com showed the controller quickly began using two different call signs for issuing instructions: one for the “American 2482 arrival flight” and another for the “American 2482 departure flight.”
Despite the converging flight paths of the two aircraft, the controller kept the arriving plane at a safe altitude flying above the departing plane, while ensuring that both pilots could see each other when miles apart. He also instructed the departing aircraft not to climb too high, maintaining a sufficient distance between the two planes at all times.
As the two aircraft safely crossed paths, the pilot of the arriving plane commended the controller, saying he did “a great job.”
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo stated that this incident likely occurred because personnel at the American Airlines dispatch center did not realize that two aircraft would be flying at the same time with the same flight number when both the dispatcher and pilots signed the flight plans.
Flight American 2482 typically operates on a round-trip route between Chicago and Phoenix. However, due to a delay affecting the flight departing from Chicago, American Airlines found another aircraft in Phoenix to ensure that Flight 2482 could depart for Chicago on time. As a result, the two aircraft briefly entered the same airspace, narrowly avoiding a collision.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and American Airlines will both investigate the cause of this incident, emphasizing their relief that all onboard personnel are safe and unharmed.
(Information sourced from the Associated Press)