2 ‘American 2482’ flights, same call sign: How US air traffic controller prevented disaster
The controller acted quickly to avoid confusion and kept the two flights at a safe distance, finding a solution to ensure that both planes understood directions
A United States air traffic controller managed to prevent a potential mid-air collision on Friday after two American Airlines planes, both assigned the flight number American 2482, were mistakenly scheduled to fly with the same number. The incident occurred shortly after midnight when one plane, destined for Chicago, and another, scheduled to depart from Phoenix, were expected to be in close proximity at the same time.
The controller from Phoenix quickly identified the conflict and took action to ensure that the two flights maintained a safe distance apart. By referring to the flights as "American 2482 on the arrival" and "American 2482 on the departure", the controller kept the arriving plane at a safe altitude above the departing plane. The controller also directed the departing plane not to climb too high to maintain a gap between the two flights.
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, who has over four decades of experience in the industry, expressed surprise at how this situation could have occurred, emphasizing that it is a rare occurrence in his career. Both pilots of the planes reportedly complimented the controller on his quick thinking and safe handling of the situation.
The Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines have stated that they will investigate the circumstances that led to this incident.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times - World News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
