Did you know two passenger jets came dangerously close just after takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport — and nobody was hurt? Early Saturday, November 7, 2026, two flights that departed LAX a minute apart ended up on conflicting paths. The controller caught it and separated them, and both flights continued to their destinations. Here is what is known — and what is not — and what a “pilot deviation,” the controller’s phrase, actually sets in motion.

What happened over Los Angeles

Air France Flight 28, an Airbus A350-900 bound for Papeete, departed Runway 24L at 12:15 a.m., cleared on the SUMMR 2 departure — climb straight ahead first, then follow the assigned route. One minute later, American Airlines Flight 1660, an Airbus A321-200 bound for Dallas/Fort Worth, departed the parallel Runway 25R, instructed to maintain 2,000 feet to let the Air France widebody turn and climb.

According to the reporting, the Air France aircraft then made a left turn shortly after takeoff — a turn that had not been cleared — across the American flight’s path. That is the reported characterization, from flight-tracking coverage and reported ATC audio — not an official finding. Why the turn happened has not been established, and as of Monday, Air France had not commented publicly.

How close did they come? The preliminary numbers

Preliminary flight-tracking data put the two aircraft at roughly 400 feet of vertical separation — some tracking-based reports say 300 to 400 feet — and about 0.76 nautical miles apart laterally at their closest. Those are preliminary numbers derived from flight tracking — not findings by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — and no official determination has been published.

What is not in dispute is the response. The controller spotted the conflict, turned both aircraft away from each other, and questioned the Air France crew. In the reported audio, the controller reminded the crew they were to climb via the procedure, not turn to a heading; the crew confirmed the instruction. The controller flagged a possible pilot deviation and gave the crew a number to call — the first step in the review process below.

What a “pilot deviation” triggers

A pilot deviation is the FAA’s term for a pilot action that does not follow an air traffic control clearance or instruction. Under the FAA’s Brasher-warning practice, when a controller flags one, the pilot is notified that the agency is reviewing a possible deviation and is invited to submit a written report. The FAA then reviews the event — the recordings, the tracking data, and the crew’s account. Depending on the findings, outcomes range from no action, to counseling or remedial training, to certificate action against a pilot’s license. The airline also conducts its own internal safety review.

Two cautions belong here. First, a flagged deviation starts that process; it does not conclude it — no finding has been made, and the cause is unknown. Second, whether the FAA has opened a formal investigation had not been clearly confirmed in the stronger reporting as of Monday — a review is expected, but it is not a fact until the agency says so.

Does a near-miss give passengers a claim?

Generally, no — not by itself. Both flights landed safely, with no injuries and no damage reported, and a personal-injury claim requires an injury. A frightening few minutes on a plane that then landed safely — fear alone, with no physical injury — is not a compensable injury claim in most circumstances. Stated generally — not as a conclusion about any specific person — and this California incident is not a Florida case and is not governed by Florida law. The real consequences of a near-miss run through the safety system — the FAA review, the deviation process, and the airline’s own investigation — not through injury lawsuits.

That is also why assigned departure routes matter. Parallel-runway departures are choreographed to the foot and the second: one jet holds 2,000 feet so another can turn and climb above it. The system works only when every crew flies the procedure exactly as cleared — which is why one reported turn, a minute after midnight, can put two airliners a few hundred preliminary feet apart.

This article is general information about the legal system, not legal advice for a specific case. This was not a Tacher Law case, no finding of fault has been made against any party, and the cause of the reported turn is unknown. Tacher Law offers a free consultation on injury and wrongful-death matters. Call +1 (305) 644-2211. “We make friends by accident.”

Sources (reporting checked November 9, 2026):