{"id":164400,"date":"2026-11-14T03:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T21:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=164400"},"modified":"2026-11-13T23:21:32","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T17:51:32","slug":"united-airlines-787-pilots-warned-over-dangerous-call-sign-confusion-at-san-francisco-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/14\/united-airlines-787-pilots-warned-over-dangerous-call-sign-confusion-at-san-francisco-airport\/","title":{"rendered":"United Airlines 787 Pilots Warned Over Dangerous Call Sign Confusion at San Francisco Airport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SAN FRANCISCO-<\/strong> A United Airlines (UA)<\/a> Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, operating flight UA505 from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), encountered a potential communication safety concern during departure operations on November 6, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An air traffic controller at SFO warned the UA505 crew about another United aircraft operating with a similar-sounding call sign UA805. The controller said the two flights were scheduled approximately 15 minutes apart and asked the pilots to report the issue to United Airlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"United
Photo: Rohan | A7-BAJ <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SFO Tower Warns United Pilots About Similar Flight Call Signs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The incident involved United Airlines flight UA505, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner<\/a> registered as N61115. Flight-tracking records identify the aircraft as operating the San Francisco-Houston route on November 6, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the exchange, United 805 Heavy was holding on Runway 28R, while United 505 Heavy was preparing to line up on Runway 1L.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The air traffic controller identified the potential confusion between the two company call signs and contacted the UA505 crew directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The controller explained that United 805 Heavy was already positioned on the runway to the aircraft’s right and that the two flights were scheduled to operate approximately 15 minutes apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The controller then asked the UA505 pilots to pass a specific request to United Airlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tower controller said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Can you let your company know that they need to either change call signs or put them more than an hour apart? Because that’s pretty dangerous for us.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The warning highlighted the controller’s concern about managing two aircraft with similar-sounding call signs during closely timed departure operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"United
Photo: Cl\u00e9ment Alloing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

United UA505 Crew Agrees to Report the Issue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The UA505 flight crew acknowledged the controller’s concern and agreed to communicate the request to the airline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the pilots <\/a>responded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“All right, I’ll put a request in there, United 505.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The controller thanked the crew for its cooperation and explained that contacting the airline through the pilots would be the quickest way to raise the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchange suggests that the controller wanted United to address the scheduling or flight-identification problem at the company level rather than rely solely on additional precautions from air traffic control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The requested changes included assigning different call signs to the flights or increasing the scheduled separation between them to more than one hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"United
Photo: By Alan Wilson – Boeing 777-222 'N795UA' United Airlines, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=33925191<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

United UA805 and UA505 Receive Runway Instructions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While discussing the similar call signs, the SFO tower continued coordinating the departure movements of both United aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United 805 Heavy initially received instructions to line up and wait on Runway 28R, with the controller advising the crew about departing traffic to the north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, United 505 Heavy received instructions to line up and wait on Runway 1L.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the discussion about the similar call signs, the controller continued sequencing the aircraft for departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United 505 Heavy received a quick-takeoff instruction for Runway 1L. The controller subsequently coordinated with United 805 Heavy, asking the aircraft to line up and wait on Runway 28R.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The controller then issued United 805 Heavy a quick-takeoff instruction with the reported wind at 180 degrees and three knots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchange concluded with the tower thanking the UA505 crew for its cooperation and instructing the flight to contact NorCal Departures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilots acknowledged the frequency change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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