FAA investigates near midair collision between Air France and American Airlines at LAX

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a near midair collision involving Air France Flight 28 and American Airlines Flight 1660 shortly after they departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

The incident occurred around 12:20 a.m. on Saturday when the Air France plane made an unauthorized turn after takeoff, entering the flight path of the American Airlines plane departing from a parallel runway, CBS News Los Angeles reported.

Air traffic controllers at LAX quickly directed the Air France flight to turn right and return to its original course, while instructing the American Airlines flight, headed for Dallas, to reduce altitude to avoid a collision.

Controllers repeatedly questioned the Air France pilots about the deviation, but after nearly 20 minutes, no clear explanation was provided. The incident is being treated as a possible pilot deviation by air traffic control.

Neither airline has commented on the event as the FAA continues its investigation.