Air traffic controller catches two planes with same call sign, averting disaster

An air traffic controller in Phoenix prevented a potential collision after identifying that two American Airlines jets were operating under the same flight number, 2482. The incident occurred while one aircraft was departing and the other was landing, causing both to share the same radio frequency in the same airspace.

A veteran controller identified the conflict and intervened to resolve the confusion between the two flights. Officials noted that the situation had the potential to be disastrous, but the controller's immediate actions successfully averted a catastrophe.