LAX near miss: Air France deviates

American Airlines Flight 1660 and Air France Flight 28 came within 400 feet of one another shortly after taking off from Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 7. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the Air France aircraft executed a turn it had not been authorized to perform, placing it directly in the flight path of the American Airlines jet.

The incident occurred at approximately 12:20 a.m. The FAA stated that the Air France crew made an unauthorized maneuver after departing from a parallel runway. Air traffic control audio reveals a rapid sequence of corrective actions. A controller instructed the Air France flight to fly heading 270 immediately. Moments later, the controller issued a traffic alert to the American Airlines pilots, warning that another aircraft was less than a mile directly ahead. The American Airlines pilot acknowledged the alert and agreed to maintain an altitude of 2,000 feet.

Steven Arroyo, a retired airline captain and aviation expert, noted that the two aircraft came less than one mile apart. He described the proximity as dangerously close. Arroyo observed that the Air France plane made an unannounced left-hand turn toward the American Airlines aircraft. He stated that the Air France departure was from the north side of the airport on a parallel runway. He emphasized that such aviation incidents are very rare.

Following the immediate conflict resolution, the controller questioned the Air France crew regarding the deviation. The controller reminded the crew that they were instructed to climb via a Standard Instrument Departure, or SID, rather than turn to a specific heading. The Air France pilot asked for a moment to review the procedure. The controller granted the request. The crew subsequently confirmed they had been assigned the SUMMR TWO departure procedure. They were then instructed to resume their assigned route.

The FAA said air traffic control issued corrective instructions immediately after the Air France aircraft entered the path of the American Airlines jet. Arroyo credited the controller with acting proactively to turn the Air France aircraft west before it converged with the American Airlines flight. He stated the controller performed an exceptional job. The FAA provided this information in a statement to Fox News Digital. Both airlines were reached for comment following the incident.