Overview
- Shortly after midnight on Friday, Aug. 14, two Boeing 737s operated under the callsign American 2482 in the same Phoenix sector before controllers noticed the duplication.
- The controller separated the jets by referring to one as “on arrival” and the other as “on departure,” keeping the arriving aircraft above 11,000 feet and holding the departing jet at 9,000 feet until tracks cleared.
- Flight-tracking data and ATC audio show both crews and the controller kept required separation and that each crew reported the other aircraft in sight, with no injuries or collision advisories recorded.
- American says the mix-up happened because severe weather delayed the inbound Chicago flight and the airline put a substitute plane on the outbound leg without changing the flight number.
- The FAA and American are reviewing the event and may consider changes to dispatch numbering, radio procedures or system fixes to reduce the risk of duplicate-call-sign incidents, a known hazard when airlines reuse flight numbers.