Flight disaster averted after two jets with SAME flight number spared from almost-certain collision

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 01:13, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 01:14, 15 August 2026 A potential disaster was averted after an Arizona air traffic controller recognized that two jets were mistakenly flying on the same flight number.  The near miss happened in the early hours of Friday morning when a pair of American Airlines planes under the same call sign and on the same frequency spoke with the controller as one arrived into Phoenix and another was leaving.  Thankfully, the quick thinking controller recognized the confusion, and urged the two jets to keep a safe distance.  If both pilots thought the controller was telling them to fly at the same altitude as they headed toward each other, they might have collided, so it was crucial they knew which plane he was directing, The Associated Press reported.  Audio of the incident captured the controller saying: 'I've been working air traffic for 25 years. I've never seen two aircraft pretty much merge with the same call sign. That's incredible.'  In the audio, shared by ATC.com, the controller started referring to the two as 'American 2482 on the arrival,' and 'American 2482 on the departure' to keep the two planes straight.  The controller kept the arriving plane safely above the departing plane even as their flight paths converged, and made sure that the pilots of both airlines saw each other when they were still miles apart.  He also directed the departing plane not to climb too high, so a gap would remain between the planes.  If both pilots thought the controller was telling them to fly at the same altitude as they headed toward each other, they might have collided Thankfully the quick-thinking controller recognized the confusion, and urged the two jets to keep a safe distance The arriving pilot complimented the controller for his 'nice work' once the two planes had passed each other safely. 'It could have been disastrous, but I'm glad it worked out,' the controller replied. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo told the AP that it's likely that someone inside the airline's dispatch center failed to catch that both planes would be in the air at the same time with identical flight numbers when both the dispatcher and the pilots signed off on the flight plan. 'You can drop the ball and that shouldn't happen, but it's nice to see that the system is resilient and we have all the safeguards,' said Arroyo, who has only seen this type of issue a couple times in his four decades with United Airlines. Arroyo started his career as a dispatcher before becoming a pilot. Flight 2482 is a round-trip route that often flies back and forth between Chicago and Phoenix.  Typically, the same plane goes back and forth, but the flight out of Chicago was delayed by weather, so American found a second plane in Phoenix and that flight left on time.  The result was that both planes briefly shared the same airspace before the arriving flight landed. The Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines will investigate how this happened, and they both emphasized how glad they were that everyone remained safe. 'The diligence and professionalism of air traffic controllers and our pilots ensured required separation was always maintained and the issue was identified and addressed. Both flights continued safely and without incident,' American Airlines said in a statement.