World · 15 August 2026
Two US flights shared a call sign. One controller prevented a crash.
Photo by Miguel Ángel Sanz on Unsplash
The mix-up happened because a delayed American Airlines arrival from Chicago overlapped with a replacement plane leaving Phoenix. An air traffic controller realised both jets were using the American 2482 call sign and quickly directed their paths to keep them apart. The Federal Aviation Administration, the US flight watchdog, is now investigating how the airline's dispatch centre missed the clash.
Reported by Sky News · How we write briefs