FAA investigates duplicate callsign for two American Airlines 737s near Phoenix

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in which two American Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated simultaneously under the same callsign, "American 2482," shortly after midnight on August 14, 2026.

Flight-tracking data cited by Flightradar24 showed one aircraft descending through 11,000 feet after arriving from Chicago O'Hare while a second climbed through 9,000 feet, having just departed Phoenix bound for the same airport. Both were on the same air traffic control frequency at the same time.

American Airlines normally uses flight number 2482 for both legs of the Chicago-Phoenix route, with a single aircraft turning around at Phoenix. The inbound flight had been delayed by weather, the airline said, landing around 00:13 local time, well after its scheduled 10:43 arrival the previous night. Rather than delay the return departure, the airline dispatched a second 737-800 already positioned at Phoenix under the same flight number; it left at 11:58.

When such an overlap is expected, the later flight is typically refiled with a different number, or a letter gets added to distinguish the callsign. Neither happened here, so two aircraft ended up sharing an identifier on the same frequency.

The controller managing the sector caught the duplication and used altitude separation to keep the two aircraft apart. The FAA said required separation was maintained throughout the encounter, and nothing indicates either aircraft received a collision avoidance resolution advisory.

The agency has not said how long its review will take, or whether it will lead to procedural changes in how American Airlines manages callsigns on routes with same-day turnarounds.