Overview
- Late Thursday night into early Friday, a delayed Chicago-to-Phoenix flight designated AA2482 and a roughly on-time Phoenix-to-Chicago flight with the same designation ended up on the same Phoenix terminal frequency.
- Recorded air traffic control audio shows controllers noting the duplication and distinguishing the aircraft as “2482 on arrival” and “2482 on departure.”
- Flight-tracking data indicate the planes converged along the same path while remaining within legal separation, about three miles horizontally and 2,000 feet vertically.
- Pilots and controllers coordinated on the frequency and completed the operations without incident, and a controller on the audio said the situation was unprecedented in his 25-year career.
- The FAA has opened an investigation to determine why the callsign was duplicated and whether airline scheduling, aircraft swaps, or ATC systems and procedures failed to prevent the overlap, a review that could change how duplicate flight numbers are handled.