Air France A350 turns off course after takeoff at LAX, close to American A321

The near miss after takeoff

Air traffic controllers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) stepped in early on Saturday, 7 November 2026, after an Air France Airbus A350-900 and an American Airlines Airbus A321 came close to each other just after leaving neighbouring runways. The Air France jet, registration F-HUVK, was flying AF28 from runway 24L to Papeete in French Polynesia, while the American jet, registration N191UW, was flying AA1660 from runway 25R to Dallas-Fort Worth. Flightradar24 data cited by BNO News puts the closest approach at 00:18 local time, when the aircraft were about 1,285 metres apart horizontally and 305 metres apart vertically. Both aircraft were still climbing when the gap closed, and together they carried about 500 passengers.

What the controllers ordered

The reports agree that the Air France jet turned left while both aircraft were climbing after departing neighbouring runways. Il Fatto Quotidiano describes the assigned departure procedure, called SUMMR2 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which required the Airbus to climb straight toward the Pacific while the American jet was held at 2,000 feet. Focus reports that the controller ordered the Air France crew to turn immediately onto a heading of 270 degrees, while the American crew received a traffic alert and an instruction to stay at roughly 610 metres. Focus places the Air France turn at about 550 metres of altitude, shortly after midnight. Once the danger had passed, the Air France jet was guided to a waypoint so it could rejoin its original route.

Separation figures and the cause

The distances differ between sources, which cite different tracking data. La Razón, citing Wingbits ADS-B data, gives a closest horizontal distance of 0.76 nautical miles, about 1.4 km, and a vertical gap of about 300 feet (92 metres) at another point of the approach. Focus, citing the aviation blog One Mile at a Time, says the aircraft came within less than 1.5 km of each other. The headline of Il Fatto Quotidiano puts the gap at 90 metres. None of the articles gives an official separation figure from the authorities.

The crew's replies and earlier incidents

Focus reports that the Air France pilots first answered the controller's questions only with "Standby". Later the crew received a telephone number to call about a possible deviation from their instructions. News 24, as cited by 20minutes, says the controller raised the possibility of a pilot deviation. The reports do not confirm a reason for the left turn. Focus also says the same runway had seen similar incidents within a few months, including a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A330neo that turned left without authorisation after takeoff a few weeks before this one.

Outcome and open questions

Both aircraft went on to their destinations after the controllers' intervention, and the Air France flight continued to Tahiti without further incident, according to Focus. 20minutes reports that no injuries were recorded among the roughly 500 passengers on board. The same article says a possible investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration had not been confirmed. Il Fatto Quotidiano bases its account on what it calls first reconstructions, so the cause of the turn is still unexplained in the published reports.