Two passenger jets came within 400 feet of each other shortly after take-off from Los Angeles early on Saturday morning, in what is known as a 'loss of separation event'.
According to air travel news website Simple Flying, American Airlines flight 1660 was instructed to stay at 2,000 feet after leaving LA at around 12.15am, to allow Air France flight 28 to turn and begin its climb to cruising altitude. However, the Air France plane made an unauthorised turn, putting the two flight paths in conflict.
Air traffic control intervenes
Aviation news account Turbine Traveller on X said air traffic control 'immediately intervened' and ensured the two flights turned away from each other. At their closest point, the aircraft are thought to have come within 400ft vertically of one another.
The American Airlines flight continued safely to its destination at Dallas/Fort Worth in Texas, while the Air France plane also proceeded to Papeete on the island of Tahiti, with no reported injuries or harm to anyone on board.
Previous incident in the US
It is unknown how many people were on board the two planes, but the models involved – an Airbus A350 and an Airbus A321 – could hold more than 500 passengers between them.
Another notable loss of separation event in the US occurred in August, when Donald Trump's presidential helicopter Marine One came too close to a passenger jet leaving Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington DC. Investigators later said radio problems contributing to that incident were caused by building work at the White House.
