Planes Nearly Collide at LAX
An Air France jet drifted into the path of an American Airlines flight shortly after midnight.
By Sanjay Caldwell ·
Air France Flight 28 drifted into the path of another aircraft shortly after midnight on Saturday, bringing the two planes within 500 vertical feet of each other at Los Angeles International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident involved an unauthorized turn that required immediate intervention from air traffic control.
The Air France jet was heading to Tahiti while the American Airlines flight was bound for Dallas-Fort Worth. According to air traffic control audio and flight tracking data, the French aircraft veered into the takeoff corridor of the American plane. At the time of the closest approach, the two aircraft were less than a mile apart.
Controllers issued corrective instructions to the Air France pilot immediately after the deviation occurred. Following the maneuver, the crew questioned the French pilot to verify whether the original flight instructions had been communicated correctly.
This close call adds to a series of recent safety issues at the busy California airport. On October 6, two planes collided on the runway. A month after that collision, a Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing at LAX.
Neither Air France nor American Airlines immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the Saturday incident.
