Note Flight numbers are often taken out of use after a crash or a serious incident . For example , following the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 , the airline changed the flight number for subsequent flights following the same route to 229 . Also , American Airlines Flight 77 , which regularly flew from Dulles International Airport in Washington , DC , to Los Angeles International Airport , was changed to Flight 149 after the September 11 attacks . On the other hand , other considerations may lead an airline not to change a flight number ; for instance , the aforementioned " flagship " American Airlines Flight 1 retains its designation despite a major accident in 1962 . There are at least four instances of flight numbers that have suffered two serious accidents : Flight 253 of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana ( both in 1956 , the first in June , and the second in November ) , Flight 869 of United Arab Airlines ( the first in 1962 and the second in 1963 ) , Flight 800 of TWA ( the first in 1964 and the second in 1996 ) , and Flight 383 of American Airlines ( the first in 1965 and the second in 2016 ) . The most recent flight number change due to an accident was from Aeroflot Flight 1492 to Aeroflot Flight 1316
second in November
Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Flight 253 (November 1956)
Flight number