Two Jets Out of LAX Came Within 400 Feet After One Turned the Wrong Way

Two airliners departing Los Angeles International came within 400 feet of vertical separation in the early hours of Saturday, November 7, according to a report from Simple Flying. Air France Flight 28, an Airbus A350-900 bound for Papeete, and American Airlines Flight 1660, an Airbus A321 bound for Dallas/Fort Worth, left within a minute of each other just after midnight.

The Air France jet had been cleared on the SUMMR2 departure, which has aircraft climb straight ahead after takeoff before following their route. American’s crew had been told to level off at 2,000 feet so the widebody could turn and climb on its way. Instead, the A350 reportedly turned left shortly after takeoff, putting it across the path of the A321.

The controller spotted the conflict and told both aircraft to turn away from each other, then asked the Air France crew about the deviation. Both flights continued to their destinations with no reported injuries. Together the aircraft could have been carrying more than 500 people. Air France had not yet commented when the report was updated on Monday.

It is not the first such event at the airport. Simple Flying notes a similar incident in 2025 involving an American jet and an ITA Airways aircraft. What caused the wrong turn, and whether regulators will open a formal review, has not been made clear in the reporting so far.

Sources: Simple Flying, FAA Newsroom