Near-Miss Averted: Two American Airlines Jets Share Flight Number Over Phoenix

Shortly after midnight on a Friday, air traffic controllers in Phoenix identified that two American Airlines aircraft were operating simultaneously under the same flight number, American 2482. One jet was descending toward Phoenix Sky Harbor from Chicago, while another had just departed Phoenix for Chicago. Because both planes were on the same ATC frequency, the controller risked giving ambiguous altitude instructions that could have led the aircraft into the same airspace. By explicitly labeling the aircraft “American 2482 on the arrival” and “American 2482 on the departure,” the controller kept the arriving plane at 11,000 feet and the departing plane at 9,000 feet, maintaining a safe vertical gap until the departing aircraft could climb away. Both flights completed their routes without incident.

Air Traffic Controller Prevents Possible Midair Disaster After Two American Airlines Jets Share Same Flight Number WJBK - Fox 2 - DetroitKSAZ - Fox 10 PhoenixArizona RepublicPBS News Hour

American Flight 2482 normally uses a single aircraft for the round-trip Chicago–Phoenix service. A weather-related delay to the inbound Chicago leg caused the airline to dispatch a second aircraft from Phoenix to preserve the schedule. This operational change resulted in two separate planes bearing the identical flight number in the same airspace—a rare occurrence that the airline’s dispatch system failed to catch.

Air Traffic Controller Prevents Possible Midair Disaster After Two American Airlines Jets Share Same Flight Number WJBK - Fox 2 - DetroitKSAZ - Fox 10 PhoenixPBS News HourArizona Republic

• Flight number: American 2482 (both legs)

Air Traffic Controller Prevents Possible Midair Disaster After Two American Airlines Jets Share Same Flight Number

• Passengers: 295 total (122 on the arriving flight, 173 on the departing flight) – reported by American Airlines officials.

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• Altitudes during the encounter: arriving aircraft at 11,000 feet; departing aircraft at 9,000 feet, later cleared to climb to 21,000 feet.

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• Timing: the two aircraft briefly shared the same communications frequency and airspace before separation was re-established.

Air Traffic Controller Prevents Possible Midair Disaster After Two American Airlines Jets Share Same Flight Number

The Federal Aviation Administration announced that it is reviewing the incident to determine how the duplicate flight-number situation occurred. American Airlines issued a statement emphasizing that “the diligence and professionalism of air traffic controllers and our pilots ensured required separation was always maintained and the issue was identified and addressed. Both flights continued safely and without incident.” Sky Harbor officials declined comment, referring inquiries to the airline.

PBS News HourKSAZ - Fox 10 PhoenixWJBK - Fox 2 - DetroitAir Traffic Controller Prevents Possible Midair Disaster After Two American Airlines Jets Share Same Flight Number

• “The diligence and professionalism of air traffic controllers and our pilots ensured required separation was always maintained and the issue was identified and addressed. Both flights continued safely and without incident,” — American Airlines

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• “You can drop the ball and that shouldn't happen, but it's nice to see that the system is resilient and we have all the safeguards,” — Steve Arroyo, aviation safety expert

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The ongoing FAA and airline investigations will examine dispatch and flight-plan verification processes to prevent future occurrences of identical call signs in overlapping airspace. Findings are expected to be shared with industry stakeholders once the review is complete.

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