Air France Jet Turns Toward American Airlines Aircraft After Takeoff From LAX in Near-Miss

Air France is at the center of an aviation safety moment near Los Angeles International Airport, where an Air France Airbus A350-900 reportedly turned left shortly after takeoff from LAX while another aircraft, an American Airlines jet, was climbing on an adjacent departure path. The sequence began in the early hours of Saturday, with the Air France flight identified as AF28, an A350-900, and the American Airlines counterpart noted as AA1660, an A321-200, according to the compiled source materials.

The events unfolded as Air France was rolling for takeoff from Runway 24L and American Airlines was simultaneously departing from a nearby parallel runway. Once both aircraft were airborne or advancing through the initial climb, authorities report that the Air France crew executed a left turn, placing the two airliners on a potential converging course. Air traffic control intervened immediately, directing traffic to break toward separation to avert a possible mid-air encounter, with the incident described as a close call that required prompt ATC action.

Initial reports indicate that there were no injuries or fatalities reported in connection with the near-miss. Emergency responders and airport authorities were involved to monitor the situation and ensure that both aircraft could continue to their destinations with safe separation. The referenced material does not confirm any damage to either aircraft, nor does it establish a specific cause for the left-turn maneuver by the Air France aircraft.

Details about the precise aircraft operations beyond the models and flight numbers vary across the outlets, but the consolidated reporting points to a high-tension moment in the departure corridor near LAX where parallel runways and rapid climb-out paths can create surface and airspace conflicts. The Air France A350-900 was reported to have departed from Runway 24L, while the American A321-200 was departing from Runway 25R, with both crews directed to adjust their headings by ATC to restore safe separation.

Aviation authorities, including the FAA, were noted as reviewing the incident data after the event. Review activities were described as potentially including flight data recorder and air-traffic control communications analysis to determine the sequence of events and to understand why the two aircraft turned in a way that created a near-miss during climb-out. The material does not specify any formal charges, penalties, or definitive conclusions from the investigation at this time.

Several outlets highlighted the near-miss as part of a broader set of departure-use issues around LAX, where multiple close calls and command interventions have been reported in the period surrounding the incident. While some reports emphasized the safety actions taken by ATC—issuing urgent separation instructions and maintaining control over the airfield’s departing traffic—the materials do not provide a detailed timetable or a full chronology beyond the initial warning and subsequent separation.

ADS-B and other tracking data cited by some outlets indicate that the two aircraft came within close proximity laterally, with some reporting noting a lateral separation approaching within a fraction of a nautical mile and a vertical separation that narrowed briefly before safe separation was reestablished. An ADS-B trace reported by Wingbits suggested a close pass with a vertical separation near 300 feet at a few miles of distance, followed by a reset to normal separation as ATC directed the crews to diverge.

Audio and control-room recordings captured by some sources are described as showing the moment-of-encounter tension, including the controllers’ rapid directives and the Air France crew’s response. The materials indicate ATC asked the Air France pilots to execute a corrective maneuver and to maintain situational awareness, with a brief interlude in which the crew verified the readback of instructions before resuming normal operations. No official quotes are provided, but the transcripts are described as illustrating how air traffic management was applied in a high-stress moment.

Across the reporting ecosystem, the incident is consistently situated at Los Angeles International Airport, with concurrent mention of the specific flights and aircraft involved, as well as the safety measures enacted by air traffic controllers. While some sources align on the aircraft types and flight numbers, others offer only partial detail, and none of the materials provide a definitive explanation for why the left-turn maneuvers occurred or what underlying factors may have contributed.

In summary, the collected materials present a near-miss scenario at LAX involving an Air France A350-900 and an American Airlines A321-200 departing on adjacent paths, with ATC intervention to separate the aircraft during early climb-out. The reports consistently state that there were no reported injuries or aircraft damage, and that investigators will review flight and control data to determine the precise sequence of events and any contributing factors. The various outlets corroborate the core elements—aircraft, location, timing in the departure phase, ATC response, and the absence of confirmed injuries—while differing on minor details and emphasis.