Imagine being an air traffic controller and suddenly having TWO aircraft responding to the same callsign. That is exactly what happened in Phoenix late Thursday night. American Airlines had two Boeing 737-800s operating as AA2482 — one arriving from Chicago (ORD), while another was preparing to depart Phoenix (PHX)... for Chicago. The inbound AA2482 finally touched down at 12:13 AM, more than 90 minutes behind schedule. The outbound AA2482, meanwhile, was already airborne after departing PHX at 11:58 PM. For a period, both aircraft ended up on the same ATC frequency with the same callsign: “American 2482.” The controller says, "I've been working air traffic for 25 years, I've never seen two aircraft pretty much merge with the same callsign." Props to that ATC! So calm and professional! His use of 'arrival' and 'departure' to designate each aircraft was incredibly quick thinking for the controller. 📹: theaviationcircleshow more

Incredible work from the 2 pilots and ATC to make arrival and departure call signs and be so calm about it. That ATC knows his job. Bravo

This guy needs to move into FAA training or the academy.

This is the risk of airlines using the same flight numbers for both directions of a route.

I know there isn’t training for situations like this, but clearly it would have helped to get a unique name from each pilot and and paired that with their call signs for the communication.

I was actually wondering if that could happen as just last week or so ago I witnessed two flights (AA5986) sitting just a gate apart from each other at CLT. One was delayed about 24 hours.

This is ATC greatness!

I don’t know anything about ATC but it seems to me he did an excellent job figuring that whole situation out quickly.

Looks like (using flight typically lands from ORD, then immediately returns to ORD after deboard/unload-board/load. But in that case, it appears they might have switched the plane, to get the passengers out sooner and on schedule.

This is as much an FAA problem as it’s another AAL retard issue. A once great company in decline for decades

😲 This is crazy! The ATC stayed as cool as a cucumber and professionally averted a potential air disaster, great job! 👏🏻

@AmericanAir Ops needs a talking to. @FAAsafety nice case study on how to handle this situation. Hope it NEVER happens again. Kudos to the ATC for, well, doing his job: well. 😉

Dispatchers and ATC normally have mitigations to avoid this, usually by refiling the flight plan with a suffix (i.e. "AAL482-A") Though mixed up callsigns can happen too, especially when the pilot is accustomed to flying a particular route, and doesn't that day Stay safe up there

Seriously what a great job the air traffic controller did with two identical identifying aircraft flights. This is like pulling a magic rabbit out of a hat and a tiger at the same time. This air traffic controller was wonderfully competent clear and avoided a possible nightmare scenario well done, sir you should be given a raise.

The btch facing southwest go 9,000 and the btch facing north pole climb to 10,000.

Wow wtf

I didn’t think that could happen

Great job!! Spent 40 years in ATC never saw that.

3 professionals. But that ATC was so poised and quick. Incredible.

I was a controller for 30 years. When it would happen you would just put an “A” At the end of the call sign of one of the aircraft and advise them both of each other. So AAL2482Alpha would be one of the call signs……

That ATC handled it like a CHAMP! That calm presence & quickly finding a way to differentiate when speaking to each pilot... impressive!!! 👏👏👏

Reminds me of the time I met two blokes at the pub named Dave

@Phil_I_Long Isn’t the entire world set up to prevent this from happening?

The ORD-PHX was probably delayed so they got a replacement for PHX-ORD. Should’ve changed the eastbound’s callsign!

I’m no controller, but if he has them both turn 45 degrees right, they’d be fine

Great ATC work! Figured out lightning fast and added departure / arrival to the callsigns!

@PropHatCat your colleague in Phoenix did a great job! That is an odd occurrence for sure! Is there a procedure for that???

Two fights identical call signs same frequency same area. This has happened earlier too. 3 months earlier. Over Louisville @SDFAirport. Bluestreak is @PSAAirlinesInc again under @AmericanAir.

And I hope the idiot who did number assignments has a conversation they will not enjoy.

first of its type case i have seen in my life with same callsign and on same frequency by two traffic, very well handled by the ATC, applause for professionalism levels by ATC and the operating crews, made both flights reached their destinations safely!!

It’ll be featured on Cpt Steve’s channel?!

Do the pax get doubles the miles for these flights? :)

Dude is a hero that no one will ever recognize. Living each day well is its own reward.

Good for him! His quick creation of distinct identities was great thinking under pressure.

I’ve been flying airlines for 13 years. I’ve seen that just one other time: Inbound flight is heavily delayed, outbound flight with the same flight number makes an aircraft swap to mitigate the delay. We both departed and ended up in the same sector. Not dangerous though: that one was picked up on quickly, and we were opposite direction aircraft, so different flight levels.