2 American Airlines planes averted potential disaster in Phoenix: AP

PHOENIX - The Associated Press is reporting that a Phoenix air traffic controller's quick action helped two airliners avert disaster on Aug. 14.

What we know:

According to the AP's report, two American Airlines planes had the same flight number: 2482. The two planes were flying close together, with one headed to Sky Harbor, and the other departing from Sky Harbor.

In a separate report, aviation website Flightradar24 states the two planes were on the same communications frequency.

Per Flightradar24's report, the plane headed to Phoenix was descending through 11,000 feet while the plane leaving Phoenix was climbing towards 9,000 feet when air traffic control realized the planes were using the same callsign. When they realized that, air traffic control told both planes to maintain a safe altitude to prevent conflict, and began referring to the planes as "American 2482 on approach" and "American 2482 on departure."

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, both flights continued without further incident.

Dig deeper:

The AP's report states that normally, the same plane flies both legs of the round trip, but the flight out of Chicago was delayed, which led to American Airlines using a second plane in Phoenix.

Why you should care:

Per the AP, if both pilots thought the controller was telling them to fly at the same altitude as they were headed towards each other, the two planes might have collided.

What they're saying:

In a statement, a spokesperson with the FAA said they are reviewing details related to the incident.

"The diligence and professionalism of air traffic controllers ensured required separation was always maintained and the issue was identified and addressed," read a portion of the statement.

Officials with Sky Harbor, meanwhile, referred all inquiries to American Airlines.

The other side:

We have reached out to American Airlines, but company officials declined to comment on the matter.

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