PHOENIX — Two American Airlines jets flying in Phoenix airspace with the same flight number were spotted by an alert air traffic controller, who worked to keep the planes a safe distance apart, according to a news report.
The situation, which occurred shortly after midnight on Friday, Aug. 14, was first reported by the Associated Press.
Typically, the same plane goes back and forth on American Flight 2482, but the flight out of Chicago was delayed by weather, so American found a second plane in Phoenix to leave for Chicago, AP reported. Both planes briefly shared the same airspace before the arriving flight landed, AP reported.
Audio posted on atc.com shows the controller referring to "American 2482 on the arrival" and "American 2482 on the departure" to distinguish the two planes for their pilots.
An American Airlines plane descends to Sky Harbor past the skyline of downtown Phoenix on Feb. 26, 2025, in Phoenix.
"I've been working air traffic for 25 years," the controller said. "I've never seen two aircraft pretty much merge with the same call sign. That's pretty incredible."
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The controller's actions kept the arriving plane safely above the departing plane and averted the risk of a midair collision, the AP reported.
A pilot for the aircraft arriving in Phoenix complimented the controller for how deftly he handled the situation and noted that he hadn't encountered that scenario before, either.
"Hey no problem — I'm glad it all worked out there," the controller replied. "It could have been disastrous. But I'm glad it all worked out."
Phoenix Sky Harbor spokesperson Ashley Meza declined to comment on the incident and deferred to American Airlines.
Neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor American Airlines responded Friday to requests for comment.
