Air France and American Airlines planes narrowly avoid collision at Los Angeles Airport

According to a Mint report, a potential mid-air collision between Air France and American Airlines flights was nearly averted after take-off from Los Angeles International Airport on 7th November 2026. Shortly after take-off, the Air France Airbus A350-900 and American Airlines Airbus A321 aircraft came close to an altitude separation of about 400 feet (121 meters) or, according to some reports, about 300 feet, which triggered the air traffic control alert and immediate instructions were issued to avert a major disaster.

This incident occurred when both aircraft were departing for different destinations within an interval of about one minute. According to aviation reports, the Air France flight allegedly took an unauthorized left turn immediately after take-off, deviating from the prescribed departure procedure and entering the flight path of the American Airlines aircraft. No injuries or damage were reported in this incident, and both aircraft proceeded towards their respective scheduled destinations.

The Air France flight AF28 involved in this entire incident was heading to Papeete in French Polynesia, while American Airlines flight AA1660 was operating to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. According to aviation reports, Air France flight AF28 took off from runway 24L at LAX on 7th November at 12:15 local time. The registration of this Airbus A350-900 aircraft heading to French Polynesia was F-HUVK. On the other hand, American Airlines flight AA1660, which was an Airbus A321-200 aircraft bearing registration N191UW, took off at approximately 12:16 from parallel runway 25R and was heading towards Dallas/Fort Worth.

During the initial climb, both flights were operating on separate routes to maintain a safe distance between the aircraft. However, this sequence changed after the Air France aircraft took off. According to reports from aviation publications, the Air France Airbus was cleared to follow the SUMMR2 Standard Instrument Departure. According to this procedure, aircraft departing from the runway are initially required to climb straight up before taking the designated route and turn. However, instead of continuing on the prescribed path, the Air France aircraft is believed to have taken an unexpected left turn after take-off. This unexpected turn forced an immediate response from the air traffic controllers.

This incident drew widespread attention after an aviation commentator shared air traffic control audio and flight-tracking information on X on 8th November. Seeing the conflict developing, the departure controller gave prompt instructions to both aircraft. The crew of Air France AF28 was instructed to immediately turn to a heading of 270 degrees. While the crew of American Airlines AA1660 was told to maintain an altitude of 2,000 feet instead of continuing the climb. Additionally, American Airlines pilots were also warned of another aircraft approaching at a distance of less than a mile from their 12 o'clock position. Subsequently, the controller questioned the Air France crew about their departure instructions and reminded them that they were cleared to follow the SUMMR2 procedure rather than turning to a different heading. This is subject to specific minimum distance verification.