A mistake that could have ended in disaster

A mistake that could have ended in disaster

A dangerous situation occurred in the United States when two American Airlines planes were marked with the same flight number - American 2482. One of them arrived from Chicago, the other took off from Phoenix.

The air traffic controller realized that both planes had the same markings, which could have led to a fatal accident.

I worked in air traffic for 25 years. I have never seen two planes practically merge under the same number. It's quite unbelievable, admitted the controller.

A quick reaction saved the situation

The key was to immediately distinguish between the two machines. If the pilots believed that the controller's commands applied to both of them, a mid-air collision could have occurred.

However, the controller showed reflexes and began to address the crews precisely: to one machine he said "American 2842 arriving", to the other - "American 2842 departing".

Thanks to this, even though the planes' routes overlapped, each plane flew at a different altitude and there was no risk of collision.

Afterwards, the controller was relieved.

It could have been disastrous, but I'm glad it worked out, he said.

A recording of this unusual situation was published by ATC.com. Experts emphasize that it was the controller's experience and cool blood that allowed a tragedy to be avoided.