Two Planes, One Call Sign | Lubbock News

A Phoenix air traffic controller pulled off a miracle Friday when he prevented a potential mid-air collision between two American Airlines jets accidentally assigned the same flight number, American 2482—one arriving from Chicago, the other departing for Phoenix. With 25 years on the job, he said it was the first time he’d ever seen such a dangerous mix-up. By clearly identifying each plane as “American 2482 on arrival” or “American 2482 on departure,” he kept them safely separated, ensuring the arriving plane stayed higher and the departing one didn’t climb too steeply. Pilots could even see each other from miles away, adding an extra layer of safety. An aviation expert blamed a dispatch oversight—likely caused by a Chicago weather delay forcing a second plane to take off—but credited the controller’s quick thinking and the system’s safeguards for averting disaster. Both FAA and American Airlines are now investigating how the error happened, praising the crew’s professionalism for keeping everything under control. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/0ac9f74834465f37