Near Miss Between Two Jets Off LAX
An Air France jet and an American Airlines jet came within about 4,200 feet horizontally of each other after takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Air Travel
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An air traffic controller ordered an Air France Airbus A350 to turn immediately and told an American Airlines Airbus A321-200 to maintain altitude after the two jets approached each other shortly after takeoff. Their closest point occurred at about 12:18 a.m. PT Saturday, when they were 4,217 feet apart horizontally and 1,000 feet apart vertically.
Why it matters
The incident highlights how quickly separation can narrow between departing aircraft, prompting controllers to intervene to keep flights safely apart. Both flights continued to their destinations without further incident.
The closest approach was 4,217 feet horizontally and 1,000 feet vertically, with the American Airlines crew reporting a climb from 2,000 feet toward 5,000 feet when the controller intervened. The extracted record does not state what caused the two departures to converge.
The players
Air France
Air France is the French flag carrier airline that operated Flight 28, an Airbus A350 bound for Tahiti.
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major U.S. carrier that operated Flight 1660, an Airbus A321-200 bound for Dallas Fort Worth.
The details
Air France Flight 28, an Airbus A350 bound for Papeete, Tahiti, took off from Runway 24L, and American Airlines Flight 1660, an Airbus A321-200 bound for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, took off from Runway 25R about a minute later. The controller told the Air France crew they were instructed to climb via SID rather than turn to a heading, then directed the jet to a waypoint called DARRK to rejoin its departure route.
Timeline
Saturday, approximately 12:18 a.m. PT: the two aircraft reached their closest point after takeoffs from Los Angeles International Airport.
Seasonal Patterns
Controllers at busy hubs such as Los Angeles International Airport routinely manage closely spaced departures on parallel runways, and near-miss events of this kind are tracked against those separation standards. The extracted record does not provide historical comparison figures for similar incidents.
Travelers flying out of Los Angeles International Airport generally do not need to change plans because of this incident, which both flights completed without further trouble. Passengers on departures from busy runways can expect controllers to manage closely spaced takeoffs under standard separation rules.
The takeaway
Air traffic controllers can step in quickly when departing aircraft come too close, and the outcome here shows that prompt instructions can restore safe separation. Travelers can rely on these procedures without needing to alter their own plans.
Further reading
For more on how departing flights are kept apart, see the Air Travel section.
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