Air France Jet Deviates After LAX Takeoff, Narrowly Missing Flight
The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a near midair collision at Los Angeles International Airport after an Air France jet turned into the path of an American Airlines flight shortly after takeoff on November 7, 2026. Air traffic controllers intervened at approximately 12:20 AM to redirect both aircraft, allowing flight crews and passengers on both long-haul routes to complete their journeys without injury.
Air Traffic Controllers Scrambled as Planes Came Within 400 Feet
Air France Flight 28, an Airbus A350-900 bound for Papeete in Tahiti, departed from runway 24L. Roughly one minute later, American Airlines Flight 1660, an Airbus A321-200 heading to Dallas, took off from parallel runway 25R. Shortly after airborne departure, the Air France jet deviated from its assigned departure procedure and crossed into the trajectory of the parallel flight path.
Air traffic control audio captured the controller issuing immediate corrective instructions to the Air France crew to fly heading 270 immediately, adding that the crew had been instructed to climb rather than turn to a heading. Controllers simultaneously advised the American Airlines flight to adjust its altitude to avoid impact, later telling the American Airlines pilots that the Air France aircraft had turned directly in front of them due to a pilot deviation.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 recorded the closest point of separation at 08:17:59 UTC, measuring a lateral distance of 0.694 nautical miles (1,285 metres) and a vertical distance of 1,000 feet. A separate analysis of flight tracking data placed the vertical gap at approximately 400 feet. The FAA confirmed that corrective instructions averted a collision, and both aircraft safely proceeded to their scheduled destinations.
