Two planes with the same flight number avoid possible disaster thanks to quick-thinking controller
- A Phoenix air traffic controller noticed two American Airlines jets were using the same flight number, American 2482, and quickly took steps to keep them separated.
- One plane was arriving from Chicago shortly after another plane with the same flight number departed Phoenix.
- The controller used clear labels such as "American 2482 on the arrival" and "American 2482 on the departure" to avoid confusion.
- American Airlines said the flights remained safely separated and continued without incident.
- The FAA and American Airlines said they would investigate how the overlap happened.
A potential disaster was avoided Friday at Phoenix when an air traffic controller realized that two American Airlines jets had been assigned the same flight number, American 2482. One aircraft was arriving from Chicago while the other had just departed Phoenix.
Audio of the incident shows the controller quickly distinguishing between the two planes by calling one the arrival and the other the departure. He kept the arriving aircraft above the departing one and made sure both crews could see each other while still miles apart.
The departing plane was also kept from climbing too high, preserving separation as their flight paths converged. After the aircraft passed safely, the arriving pilot praised the controller’s work.
American Airlines said the flights remained safely separated and continued without incident. The FAA and the airline said they will investigate how the same flight number was used on both planes at the same time.
两架同一航班号飞机因管制员迅速反应避免潜在险情
周五在菲尼克斯，一起潜在险情被避免。空中交通管制员发现两架美国航空飞机被分配了相同的航班号 American 2482，其中一架从芝加哥抵达，另一架刚从菲尼克斯起飞。
事发录音显示，管制员迅速用“到达的飞机”和“起飞的飞机”来区分两机，并让抵达航班保持在起飞航班之上，同时确保两方机组在仍相距数英里时就能看到对方。
他还要求起飞的飞机不要爬升过高，以保持两机之间的间隔。两机安全交会后，抵达航班的飞行员称赞了管制员的处理。
美国航空表示，两架航班始终保持安全间隔，并且未发生事故。美国联邦航空管理局和航空公司表示，将调查为何两架飞机会同时使用同一个航班号。