An investigation is underway after two planes nearly collided midair after taking off from Los Angeles International Airport over the weekend.
It happened on Saturday at around 12:20 a.m., when Federal Aviation Administration officials said Air France Flight 28 made an “unauthorized turn” after departing LAX. The plane then “went into the path of another aircraft that departed from a parallel runway.”
According to audio recordings from LAX, air traffic controllers immediately directed the Air France flight to turn to the right and back to the original path, while also directing the other plane, American Airlines Flight 1660 heading for Dallas, to reduce altitude to avoid a possible collision.
Air traffic controllers then repeatedly asked the Air France pilots what happened and why they veered from their original departure path, and after nearly 20 minutes they never appeared to receive a clear answer.
The incident has been labeled as a “possible pilot deviation.”
Air France has not yet responded to CBS LA’s request for comment on the incident.