Two passenger jets came dangerously close to each other shortly after taking off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The aircraft were Air France flight AF28, an Airbus A350-900 heading to Papeete, and American Airlines flight AA1660, an Airbus A321-200 heading to Dallas/Fort Worth.
What happened
The Air France A350 took off from runway 24L and was meant to follow its standard departure route (SUMMR2). Instead, it reportedly turned left and crossed the path of the American A321, which had departed from runway 25R. Flight tracking data suggests the planes came within about 0.76 nautical miles horizontally and only 300-400 feet (92-121 metres) vertically.
How it was resolved
Air traffic controllers acted fast:
- They told the Air France crew to turn immediately to a heading of 270 degrees.
- They stopped the American Airlines climb at 2,000 feet and warned the crew of traffic less than a mile away at 12 o'clock.
- They then asked the Air France crew why the takeoff clearance wasn't followed, and gave the pilots a phone number to call about a possible pilot deviation.
Safe separation was restored, and both flights continued to their destinations.
Bottom line
Close calls like this are rare, but they show how important it is that pilots follow their clearances and how vital air traffic controllers are. The details come from initial reports and flight tracking data, so the numbers may change once the investigation is complete.
