[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] A tense moment nearly led to a midair collision between two passenger planes in the United States.
The danger arose because two American Airlines aircraft using the same flight number entered the same airspace at the same time. Fortunately, a controller's quick judgment helped prevent a collision.
According to foreign media outlets including Daily Mail, two American Airlines planes appeared on air traffic control frequencies early on the 14th local time near Phoenix, Arizona, both using the same call sign, "American 2482." One aircraft was approaching Phoenix for landing, while the other had departed Phoenix and was climbing.
The problem began when both aircraft were communicating with air traffic control under the same call sign. That created the risk that one plane might mistake instructions meant for the other as its own.
To distinguish them immediately, the controller began referring to them in radio communications as "American 2482 arriving" and "American 2482 departing."
The controller also separated their altitudes to maintain a safe distance. The departing aircraft was told not to climb too high, while the approaching plane was kept at a higher altitude than the departing one.
As the two planes drew closer, steps were also taken so that the pilots could visually identify the other aircraft. The planes passed each other safely and continued operating without any further incident.
During the exchange, the controller expressed surprise, saying, "I've been in air traffic control for 25 years, and this is the first time I've seen two aircraft with the same call sign almost merge." After the landing, the pilot of one aircraft thanked the controller, saying, "You handled that well." The controller replied in effect that it could have become a major accident, but he was glad it was resolved safely.
The incident is believed to be linked to a schedule change at American Airlines. Flight 2482 normally operates as a round trip between Chicago and Phoenix.
Because the same aircraft usually handles both legs, using the same flight number is not normally a problem. On this day, however, weather delayed the flight departing from Chicago.
American Airlines then assigned another aircraft already in Phoenix to operate the departure as scheduled. As a result, while the original aircraft was still in the air, another plane was also using the same 2482 call sign, creating a situation in which two aircraft were operating simultaneously under the same flight number.
American Airlines said, "Thanks to the careful and professional response of controllers and pilots, the required separation between aircraft was maintained." It added, "Once the issue was identified, we responded appropriately, and both flights continued safely."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and American Airlines plan to investigate how the incident occurred.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
