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 acted quickly to keep them separated.
- One plane was arriving from Chicago while the other was departing Phoenix, and their flight paths briefly converged in the same airspace.
- The controller avoided confusion by referring to the aircraft as the arrival and the departure and kept the arriving jet above the departing one.
- Both pilots were able to see each other from miles apart, and the flights passed safely without incident.
- American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration said they would investigate how the duplicate flight number situation occurred.
A Phoenix air traffic controller prevented a possible serious incident Friday after realizing that two American Airlines jets were flying under the same flight number, American 2482. One aircraft was arriving from Chicago while another had just departed Phoenix.
Audio from the incident shows the controller quickly distinguishing between “American 2482 on the arrival” and “American 2482 on the departure” to keep the aircraft straight. He kept the arriving plane safely above the departing one and made sure both crews could see each other while still well apart.
After the planes passed safely, the arriving pilot praised the controller’s work. The controller replied that it could have been disastrous, but the situation was handled successfully. American Airlines and the FAA said they will investigate how the duplicate flight number came to be used.
两架同一航班号的飞机在凤凰城险些发生危险，空管员迅速处置避免事故
周五，凤凰城一名空中交通管制员在发现两架美国航空客机竟使用同一航班号 American 2482 后，迅速介入，避免了可能发生的严重险情。一架飞机从芝加哥飞抵凤凰城，另一架则刚从凤凰城起飞。
事发音频显示，这名管制员很快用“到达航班”和“起飞航班”来区分两机，防止指令混淆，并让到达航班保持在起飞航班上方，同时确保两侧机组在仍相距较远时就能看到对方。
两架飞机安全错开后，进港飞行员对管制员的处置表示称赞。管制员回应说，这本来可能酿成灾难，但最终处理得当。美国航空和美国联邦航空管理局表示，将调查为何会出现重复航班号。