2 planes, same flight number: How a US air traffic controller averted a mid-air collision
American Airlines passenger planes are parked at Miami International Airport, in Miami. (Photo: AP)Two American Airlines planes had a close call on Friday after they were mistakenly assigned the same flight number. A quick-acting air traffic controller in Phoenix stepped in and kept the planes apart, according to Associated Press (AP).
An audio clip from the air traffic controller recorded just after midnight indicates how the controller worked out a way to keep the two planes safely apart. One plane was arriving from Chicago just as the other, also using flight number American 2482, was taking off from Phoenix.
How did the mix-up happen?
Flight 2482 usually runs between Chicago and Phoenix, using the same aircraft. But the Chicago-to-Phoenix flight was delayed by bad weather, so American Airlines used a second plane out of Phoenix to keep the return leg on time. This meant both planes, carrying the same flight number, ended up in the sky at the same time.
According to the audio shared by ATC.com, the controller began calling the two aircraft “American 2482 on the arrival” and “American 2482 on the departure” so that neither pilot would confuse the instructions.
Just after midnight, a pair of American Airlines flights with the same call sign were on the same frequency near Phoenix. Call sign confusion has resulted in previous incidents, but thankfully ATC and the pilots were able to resolve the situation. https://t.co/YwuuMx2e9S pic.twitter.com/61a0tf4x9k
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 14, 2026
He kept the arriving plane above the departing one even as their paths crossed, made sure both pilots could see each other while they were still some distance apart, and told the departing plane to stay below a certain height. This was done to maintain a considerable gap between the two aircraft.
Once the planes had passed each other safely, the controller said, “I’ve never seen two aircraft pretty much merge with the same call sign.”
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The pilot of the arriving plane thanked the controller for skillfully handling the situation. The controller replied that the outcome could have been very different, saying, “It could have been disastrous, but I’m glad it worked out.”
What do aviation experts say?
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said the mix-up likely happened because someone at the airline’s dispatch centre did not notice that both planes would be in the air with the same flight number at the same time. Arroyo, who worked in the industry for four decades, starting as a dispatcher before becoming a pilot at United Airlines, said this kind of mistake is “rare”.
Two American Airlines flights with the same flight number ended up in the same vicinity at the same time. Air traffic controllers caught the mix-up and kept the two planes safely apart as the airline investigates. pic.twitter.com/vOHr5du5Ae
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) August 14, 2026
Arroyo said mistakes like this can happen, but noted that the wider safety system worked as intended.
What have the FAA and American airlines said?
The Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines are now looking into how the mix-up happened. Both said they were relieved that no one was harmed.
American Airlines said in a statement that its pilots and air traffic controllers kept the required distance between the two aircraft at all times, and that both flights landed safely without incident.
