Click-Bait? Or Stupidity?

You would expect the Associated Press to be a reliable media outlet. But look at this story. A writer named Josh Funk posted an article that was featured on my Google news feed: “2 planes with the same flight number avoid possible disaster thanks to quick-thinking controller.”

Air traffic controllers routinely deal with similar or duplicate call signs. They make sure the planes they are controlling are aware of the similarity or the duplication.

Two planes with the same call sign - American 2482 - were in the Phoenix airspace at the same time. This was not because of an error. It was because the American 2482 that was arriving was delayed and the departing American 2482 was on time.

Funk writes “A potential disaster was averted Friday when a Phoenix air traffic controller recognized two American Airlines jets mistakenly were flying the same flight number and acted quickly to avoid confusion and keep them a safe distance apart.”

And he wrote, “If both pilots thought the controller was telling them to fly at the same altitude as they headed toward each other, they might have collided . . . .”

There was no chance whatsoever of the planes colliding that way. No combination of misunderstanding would have put both planes at the same altitude. Take a look.

A. The plane at 9,000 feet would not be told to climb to 10,000 because 10,000 was occupied.

B. If the plane at 10,000 mistakenly thought it was meant for them, so what? They were already at 10,000.

C. The plane at 10,000 feet would not be told to descend to 9,000 because that altitude was already in use.

D. If the plane at 9,000 mistakenly thought it was for them, so what? They were already at 9,000 feet.

Did Funk do the logic? Did he know a collision was impossible? Or did he know and decide to click-bait fearful fliers anyway?

Did Funk mention TCAS, the system that prevents mid-air collisions, even if air traffic control makes a mistake? No a word. Had he pointed out that TCAS would have prevented a mid-air collision between departing and arriving airliners, he would have had no way to shock gullible readers.

So there you have it. Another article by a jerk who either doesn’t know what he is talking about or is out to exploit the anxious.

When you read something shocking about aviation in the media, consider the source. If it is a media outlet that only covers aviation, it may be accurate. If it any other media outlet, there is little chance that what you read is right.