Two American Airlines flights at Phoenix airport shared the same flight number

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Two American Airlines aircraft at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were assigned the same flight number, 2482, prompting an air traffic controller to intervene and keep the planes safely separated, one departing and the other arriving from Chicago. The controller, recognizing the conflict, held the arriving aircraft at a safe altitude while the departing plane cleared the area. The controller later said it was the first such incident in a 25-year career. The pilot of the incoming flight thanked the controller over the radio for a job well done. Steve Arroyo, a former United Airlines executive and aviation safety expert, said the error most likely occurred when the airline's operations center approved flight plans for both aircraft to be airborne simultaneously while carrying the same flight number without noticing the overlap. The Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines said they are investigating how the mistake occurred and confirmed that passengers and crew on both flights were safe.