FAA investigates unauthorized turn of AirFrance in another airline path

An Air France passenger jet made an unintended left turn soon after takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport, prompting intervention from air traffic controllers, according to the FAA, with NBC Los Angeles reporting the update as part of an ongoing investigation. The incident occurred over a weekend, and the FAA noted that the erroneous turn placed the Air France aircraft in the path of another flight, triggering corrective actions by ATC to prevent a potential conflict.

AirLive detailed the event as a tense close call at LAX on Saturday involving an Air France Airbus A350-900, registration F-HUVK, operating Flight AF28 bound for Papeete, Tahiti, and an American Airlines Airbus A321-200, operating Flight AA1660 bound for Dallas–Fort Worth, departing from adjacent runways. The two aircraft reportedly turned left shortly after climb-out, creating a converging flight path that ATC rapidly identified as hazardous.

According to ADS-B tracking data provided by Wingbits, the two airliners came within about 0.76 nautical miles laterally of one another, with vertical separation narrowing to roughly 300 feet at a distance of 1.6 nautical miles before safe spacing was re-established. The close proximity underscores how quickly the situation could have evolved into a more serious encounter if not for ATC intervention.

ATC immediately recognized the hazard and issued urgent instructions for both crews to break their turns and separate. The air traffic controllers' actions were described as textbook in terms of managing an in-flight resolution, and communications show a rapid sequence of instructions followed by the crews executing the required maneuvering to regain separation.

Audio recordings of the tower frequency captured the high-stakes moment, including the Air France crew’s stressed responses as they executed the evasive maneuvers. After the immediate action, the controller allowed a brief pause for the crews to regain operational focus before requiring a formal readback of the instructions and addressing the potential pilot deviation issue.

NBC4 quoted the FAA update as part of an ongoing investigation into the incident. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew on either aircraft, and both flights continued safely to their respective destinations after the encounter, according to the reporting. The FAA noted that investigators would review flight recorder data and ATC audio to determine why both aircraft engaged in left turns simultaneously after departure.

The AirLive report identified the exact flight details, including AF28 operating from LAX on Runway 24L and AA1660 operating from Runway 25R, with the two aircraft climbing out in close proximity before turning left. The discrepancy between the parallel runway departures and the abrupt left-hand maneuver by both aircraft formed the core of the air traffic incident being scrutinized by investigators.

Officials from the FAA are expected to examine flight data recorders and air traffic control communications as part of the investigation to establish whether a miscommunication, misconfiguration, or pilot error contributed to the unauthorized turn series. While the current material does not attribute a cause, the investigation is actively pursuing a full understanding of why both aircraft initiated left turns immediately after takeoff and how ATC managed the resolution.

To summarize the events as reported: an Air France A350-900 on AF28 and an American Airlines A321-200 on AA1660 departed nearly simultaneously from LAX on adjacent runways, executed left turns during climb-out, entered a dangerously close separation regime (0.76 nautical miles laterally and about 300 feet vertically at 1.6 nautical miles), ATC intervened to separate them, no injuries were reported, and investigators are reviewing flight data recorder and ATC audio as part of the ongoing inquiry.