LAX Near Miss: Air France Jet's Wrong Turn Nearly Hits American Airlines Plane

Two passenger jets carrying roughly 500 people between them came within about 400 feet of each other above Los Angeles International Airport early on Saturday, after an Air France crew made an unauthorised turn into the path of a departing American Airlines plane. The LAX near miss, now under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, ended without injuries — but only because controllers spotted the conflict within seconds and ordered both crews to act.

It happened at around 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2026, just after both aircraft lifted off from parallel runways. Tracking data shows the jets closed to about 400 feet vertically and one nautical mile laterally.

Key Points

• Air France Flight AF28, an Airbus A350-900 bound for Papeete, Tahiti, took off from Runway 24L at LAX at 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
• American Airlines Flight AA1660, an Airbus A321 bound for Dallas/Fort Worth, took off at the same time from parallel Runway 25R.
• The Air France crew had been cleared for the SUMMR2 departure route but made an unauthorised left turn into the American jet's flight path.
• Tracking data shows the aircraft came within about 400 feet vertically and one nautical mile laterally, with roughly 500 passengers aboard both.
• Controllers ordered the Air France jet to turn right and the American jet to reduce altitude; the FAA is investigating the possible pilot deviation.

What Happened

The departures were routine at first. Air France Flight AF28, an Airbus A350-900 heading for Papeete, lifted off from Runway 24L, while American Airlines Flight AA1660, an Airbus A321 bound for Dallas/Fort Worth, lifted off from the parallel Runway 25R. LAX uses parallel runways for simultaneous departures, with each aircraft assigned a separate route so their paths diverge safely.

Cleared for the SUMMR2 departure, the Air France crew turned left shortly after leaving the ground, without authorisation, into the American jet's path. Controllers acted at once, ordering the Air France flight right and the American crew to reduce altitude. The jets separated, both reached their destinations, and the Air France plane landed normally in Papeete at 5:59 a.m. local time. The controller also warned the crew of a possible pilot deviation — failing to follow an air traffic control instruction.

Background: Parallel Departures at LAX

Los Angeles International Airport is one of the busiest in the United States, handling hundreds of departures a day across four parallel runways. Simultaneous departures are normal at large airports, and they depend on each aircraft being given a departure procedure that keeps it separated from the aircraft beside it.

The SUMMR2 is a standard instrument departure at LAX, telling a crew which heading to fly, when to turn and how high to climb. When a crew follows its route, the system works; when an aircraft turns where it was not cleared to fly, the separation the routes were built to provide can vanish in seconds, in the busiest minute of the flight.

LAX Near Miss: How Close the Two Jets Came

Four hundred feet vertically and about one nautical mile laterally sounds like a lot of empty sky, but for two airliners climbing from the same airport it is not. Large aircraft move fast even in the climb, and a few seconds' delay can erase hundreds of feet of separation.

The two aircraft carried roughly 500 passengers between them, and both were still climbing at low altitude, with the ground below and other traffic around — leaving little room to manoeuvre. The controllers' response, turning the Air France jet right and telling the American jet to descend, was the immediate, clear instruction the system is built to deliver, and on Saturday it worked exactly as intended.

Reactions: What the FAA and Air France Said

The FAA said it is investigating the possible pilot deviation and described its findings as preliminary. It has not released tower audio or said how long the inquiry will take. Such investigations examine the instructions the crew received, their readbacks, the flight data and the radar picture, to establish where the departure from the assigned route began.

Air France confirmed its crew received a request from air traffic control shortly after takeoff to adjust its flight path, followed the instructions, and landed normally in Papeete at 5:59 a.m. local time. The airline did not comment on the cause of the turn. American Airlines has not been reported as issuing a separate statement, and nothing suggests its crew did anything but follow the order to reduce altitude.

Why It Matters

The incident shows how quickly a routine departure can become dangerous, and how much depends on the people watching the radar. Airport safety has several layers — published routes, clearances, readbacks, radar monitoring — and on Saturday one layer failed when the Air France jet turned left without authorisation, while another saved the day.

It also matters because of what was at stake: roughly 500 people aboard two jets climbing at full power over a city of millions. A midair collision over Los Angeles would have been catastrophic for those on board and for neighbourhoods below. Air travel stays safe largely because incidents like this are investigated in detail and the lessons feed back into training and procedures.

What Happens Next

The FAA investigation is under way. Investigators will review air traffic control recordings, radar data and flight data recorders, and interview the Air France crew and the controllers. If a pilot deviation is confirmed, the crew could face action ranging from retraining to licence suspension. The inquiry may also produce safety recommendations, as past cases have led to changes in procedures, phraseology or cockpit systems.

Both airlines will also carry out internal reviews, as after any safety event. For travellers, nothing changes: flights from LAX are operating normally. The incident will be remembered as another close call in a year of intense scrutiny of American aviation safety — and as a case where controllers, acting in seconds, kept a routine night departure from becoming a disaster. Readers can also see our reports on Boeing's commercial airplane workforce cuts, the FAA's fuel tank sealant checks on Boeing 787s and 747s and the Los Angeles mayoral race and the delayed LAX people mover.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened at LAX on Saturday?
Air France Flight AF28 turned left without authorisation after taking off from Runway 24L at 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2026, into the path of American Airlines Flight AA1660, which had taken off from parallel Runway 25R.

How close did the two planes come?
About 400 feet vertically and one nautical mile laterally, according to flight-tracking data. Roughly 500 passengers were aboard the two planes combined.

Was anyone hurt?
No. Controllers ordered the Air France jet to turn right and the American jet to reduce altitude, and both planes landed normally.

What is the FAA investigating?
A possible pilot deviation — the formal term for a crew failing to follow an air traffic control instruction or a published procedure. Its findings are preliminary.

What is the SUMMR2 departure route?
A standard instrument departure at LAX that tells a departing crew which heading to fly, when to turn and how high to climb.