A near-collision between two passenger planes departing from Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 31 highlighted concerns about the safety of flying during an ongoing government shutdown.
Shortly before 4 p.m., an ITA Airways jet and American Airlines jet were climbing after taking off from parallel runways when the ITA plane abruptly banked left into the American Airlines plane’s path, according to radio traffic compiled by VASAviation.
As the plane drifted left off of its planned course, air traffic control commanded the ITA pilot to “turn right heading 270 immediately.”
“Stop your altitude climb,” controllers told the American Airlines pilot shortly thereafter. “Traffic ahead and to your left.”
The American Airlines pilot confirmed that he could see the Airbus 330 as he stopped climbing around 1,500 feet.
After the collision was avoided, air traffic control apologized to the American Airlines pilot: “Traffic off the north side just turned to the south on their own right in front of you guys.”
“We just kind of saw him as soon as we climbed up,” the pilot replied.
Air traffic control then asked the ITA pilot why he had turned off course and relayed a number to call to report a pilot deviation. The pilot didn’t explain but conveyed a quick “sorry.”
The American Airlines plane was headed to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, said Ethan Klapper, a spokesperson for the airline.
“Shortly after departure, air traffic control directed the crew to take a different route due to the actions of an aircraft belonging to another airline,” Klapper said.
The aircraft carried 90 passengers and seven crew members and arrived at its destination without further incident.
The ITA Airways flight landed in Rome the following day, according to flight logs. ITA Airways did not respond to a request for comment.
The Federal Aviation Administration did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The agency has faced staffing cuts due to the government shutdown.
The shutdown led federal employees working in air travel to call out sick in large numbers, prompting an unprecedented directive from the FAA to cancel flights, slowing operations at major airports. Flight operations were on track to be reduced by 10% nationally by Friday.
The House, however, was expected to vote Wednesday morning to end the shutdown after 60 senators advanced a measure Monday night to reopen the government. An end to the shutdown could prevent travel chaos over Thanksgiving, one of the busiest times for flying.
Times staff writers Michael Wilner and Ana Ceballos contributed to this report.
