Delta 958 near miss at LAX: how a 767 ended up side by side with a SkyWest jet
A Delta 767 lifted off LAX's north runway and turned left with a SkyWest jet climbing off the south runway, side by side, at the same altitude. Work it from the departure controller's scope, decode the radio as it happens, and make the calls yourself.
What happened
On Sunday, April 19, 2026, at about 10:09 a.m. local time, Delta 958, a Boeing 767-400 departing LAX runway 24L, turned left off its departure course just as SkyWest 231 Echo, an Embraer 175 on the parallel runway 25R, made its own planned left turn. Instead of spreading apart, the two flew side by side about 0.7 nautical miles (4,000 feet) apart at the same altitude for more than 30 seconds. The SoCal Departure controller issued traffic alerts and turned them apart, Delta right and SkyWest left. Both flights continued normally, and the controller told the Delta crew to call in over a possible pilot deviation.
| Date and time | Sun 19 Apr 2026, 17:09Z (10:09 PDT) |
|---|---|
| Airport | Los Angeles International (LAX), west flow, wind 250° at 6 kt |
| Aircraft 1 | Delta 958 heavy, Boeing 767-400, runway 24L |
| Aircraft 2 | SkyWest 231 Echo (SKW231E), Embraer 175, flying as American Eagle 4890, runway 25R |
| Closest point | 0.67 nm (about 4,000 ft) apart, 100 ft vertically, at 17:09:03Z, around 1,700 ft (ADS-B) |
| Controller | SoCal TRACON departure (SCT) |
| Outcome | Traffic alerts, opposite turns, no injuries reported; possible pilot deviation |
How parallel departures at LAX work
It's Sunday morning and LAX is in west flow: the wind is out of the west, so every jet takes off toward the ocean. LAX has two pairs of runways, the north pair (24L/24R) and the south pair (25L/25R). In west flow the outboard runways land and the inboard ones depart.
LAX launches off both sides at the same time. Two departures can roll side by side, about 0.7 miles apart, as long as their departure paths keep them apart.
Delta goes from the north side, SkyWest from the south
The dashed lines are where each one is meant to fly. Delta's goes straight out on the runway heading. SkyWest's turns left about two miles out, so the two spread apart as they climb.
Side-by-side departures only work if both pilots hold their line. Nobody is separating them by altitude yet. The spreading paths are the separation.
"SoCal Departure, Delta 958 heavy, out of 1,400, climbing 5,000."
Hi, we're the big Delta jet, just passing 1,400 feet on the way to 5,000.
- DAL958
- Callsign
- 014
- Altitude in hundreds of feet: 1,400 ft
- 18
- Ground speed in tens of knots: about 180 kt
- B764
- Aircraft type: Boeing 767-400
"Delta 958 heavy, SoCal Departure, radar contact, climb and maintain 1-2,000."
I see you on my scope. Keep climbing, up to 12,000 feet.
Routine. Now look at the amber trail. It's starting to bend left of the dashed line, toward the south side.
Where it went wrong: "was that 090?"
"Climbing to 1-2,000, and sorry, heading, was that 0-9-0?"
Got the altitude. Also, did you give us a heading of 090? (Due east. Nobody did.)
A crew asking about a heading nobody gave is a crew that isn't sure where they're meant to be pointed. That's your cue to look hard at their track.
One of these jets is off its line. Which one? Tap it on the scope or pick below.
The lines sticking out of each target show where it'll be in one minute. They should be spreading apart. Are they?
"Delta 958 heavy, negative, just climb and maintain 1-2,000."
No heading from me. Just climb.
The turn is the cause. But this answer was also a missed chance: it says what not to do without giving the crew a heading to fly. "Fly heading 250" here could have stopped the turn several seconds sooner.
Delta's ADS-B track tells a clearer story than the radio. From 17:08:44 its course bends from 262° to 238° in under 30 seconds. That isn't a lazy drift; it's a left turn. SkyWest started its own planned left turn at the same moment, so they turned together, 0.7 miles apart. Delta reverses four seconds after the traffic alert.
They're 0.7 miles apart, side by side at the same altitude, and the gap isn't growing. What do you say?
What is a traffic alert?
The most urgent call a radar controller makes. It's reserved for when a collision is a real possibility, and it always comes with a turn or climb to fly immediately.
"Delta 958 heavy, traffic alert, off your left, same altitude. Turn right, right turn heading 2-5-0, immediately."
There's a plane right beside you at your height. Turn right now.
Saying the direction twice is on purpose. A left/right mix-up on the readback is the last thing you want in the next ten seconds.
"Right 2-5-0 on the heading, Delta 958 heavy."
"SkyWest 231 Echo, traffic alert, off your right, a mile, same altitude. Turn left immediately, heading 1-8-0."
Same jet, other side of it. Turn south, now.
The scope's own conflict alert (the red CA) lit up around 17:09:16. The controller had already turned Delta seven seconds earlier.
How close did the planes get?
0.67 nautical miles, about 4,000 feet, with 100 feet between them, at 17:09:03Z. That's roughly the distance between LAX's north and south runways.
Watch the gap meter. For half a minute it sat at 0.7 miles. Once both turns bite it finally opens, and within 30 seconds the gap has tripled.
Once they're off the runways, radar controllers keep jets at least 3 miles apart side to side or 1,000 feet apart vertically. These two had neither.
"Delta 958 heavy, where did you get the 0-9-0 heading from?"
"We weren't turning to 0-9-0. We were a little bit left of course… we just veered left of course."
We weren't following any heading. We just drifted.
"1-3-4-3-5, climb and maintain 1-2,000. And thank you very much for your help."
Switching to the next controller. And thanks for that one.
What is a Brasher warning?
"Delta 958 heavy, possible pilot deviation. Advise you contact SoCal Approach at…"
This will be looked into. Please call us when you land.
That scripted line is a Brasher warning, named after an NTSB case. Controllers give it so the crew knows the FAA may follow up, and can write down what happened while it's fresh.
"Delta 958 heavy, contact LA Center 125.27. Good day."
About three and a half minutes from the first call to the handoff, and roughly 30 seconds of it mattered. That's the job.
What this one teaches
Three things a good departure controller does without thinking, and why each one mattered here.
Odd questions are data
"Was that 090?" was the first sign Delta's crew wasn't sure of their heading. Answer the question and give them a heading to fly.
Turn both, in opposite directions
Two turns open the gap twice as fast as one. Climbing over the top takes a heavy 767 far too long.
"Traffic alert" means right now
The words are reserved for real danger. With "immediately" and the direction said twice, the crew acts before they think.
See if you can do better.
Take the LAX departure position yourself, on the same runways, in west flow, with live traffic and AI controllers in every other seat. Catch the turn before it becomes a traffic alert.
- Keep departures 3 miles or 1,000 feet apart
- Turn them onto their routes and hand them to LA Center
- No phone numbers handed out
Delta 958 near miss: common questions
How close did Delta 958 and SkyWest 231E get?
ADS-B data shows 0.67 nautical miles (about 4,000 feet) apart with 100 feet of altitude between them at 17:09:03Z, around 1,700 feet just off the LAX shoreline. They stayed within 0.72 miles of each other for more than 30 seconds. Radar controllers normally keep jets at least 3 miles or 1,000 feet apart.
Who was at fault?
On frequency, the Delta crew said they "just veered left of course," and the controller told them it was a possible pilot deviation. That's the controller's first report, not a finding. The FAA reviews the radar data and audio and decides what happened.
What does "possible pilot deviation" mean?
The controller believes the pilots didn't follow their clearance, here by turning off their departure course. Saying it on frequency, with a phone number to call, is the scripted Brasher warning. It tells the crew the FAA may follow up.
What happens to the pilots now?
The FAA looks at the event. Most deviations without damage end in no action or in retraining under the FAA's compliance program. More serious ones can lead to action against a pilot's certificate. Crews usually also file a NASA safety report (ASRS), which can limit penalties.
Why did the controller turn both planes instead of one?
Two turns in opposite directions open the gap twice as fast as one. A climb would have been too slow: a heavy 767 can't gain 1,000 feet in the few seconds they had.
Was anyone hurt?
Nothing in the ATC audio suggests injuries or damage. Both flights continued after the turns: SkyWest climbed on to the next departure controller, and Delta was handed to LA Center about two minutes later.
Can I try handling this situation myself?
Yes. SectorLive lets you work the LAX departure position in your browser on the same runways and procedures. A replay of this exact situation, starting ten minutes before Delta 958 rolls, is coming soon.
Every word on frequency
SoCal Departure, 17:08:31Z to 17:11:37Z
| 17:08:31Z | Delta 1434 | Delta 1434, contact departure 134.35. |
|---|---|---|
| 17:08:35Z | Delta 1434 | 34.35, Delta 1434. |
| 17:08:49Z | Delta 958 | SoCal Departure, Delta 958 heavy, out of 1,400, climbing 5,000. |
| 17:08:55Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, SoCal Departure, radar contact, climb and maintain 12,000. |
| 17:09:01Z | Delta 958 | Climbing to 12,000, and sorry, heading, was that 090? |
| 17:09:05Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, negative, just climb and maintain 12,000. |
| 17:09:09Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, traffic alert, off your left, same altitude, turn right, right turn heading 250 immediately. |
| 17:09:15Z | Delta 958 | Right 250 on the heading, Delta 958 heavy. |
| 17:09:17Z | SoCal Departure | SkyWest 231 Echo, traffic alert, off your right, a mile, same altitude, turn left immediately heading 180. |
| 17:09:23Z | SkyWest 231E | 180 on the heading, SkyWest 231 Echo. |
| 17:09:34Z | SoCal Departure | United 1093, turn left direct [fix], climb and maintain 15,000. |
| 17:09:39Z | United 1093 | Left direct [fix], climb and maintain 15,000, United 1093. |
| 17:09:43Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, heading 250, 12,000. |
| 17:09:47Z | Delta 958 | 250, 12,000, Delta 958 heavy. |
| 17:09:49Z | SoCal Departure | SkyWest 231 Echo, cleared direct [fix], maintain 5,000. |
| 17:09:52Z | SkyWest 231E | Direct [fix], maintain 5,000, SkyWest 231 Echo. |
| 17:10:02Z | SoCal Departure | SkyWest 231 Echo, say altitude. |
| 17:10:05Z | SkyWest 231E | Currently 4,100, climbing 5,000, SkyWest 231 Echo. |
| 17:10:10Z | SoCal Departure | SkyWest 231 Echo, radar contact, climb and maintain 6,000. |
| 17:10:13Z | SkyWest 231E | Climb and maintain 6,000, SkyWest 231 Echo. |
| 17:10:17Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, where did you get the 090 heading from? |
| 17:10:21Z | Delta 958 | We weren't turning to 090. We were a little bit left of course, then we got the altitude to 12,000 and I thought there was a 090 heading… we were just a little bit left of course at that point and then we got the heading from you. |
| 17:10:33Z | SoCal Departure | Okay. I'm confused. Why were you left of course? Were you just veering off to the left? I thought you were on the departure. |
| 17:10:39Z | Delta 958 | Yeah, we were on the departure. We just veered left of course. |
| 17:10:42Z | SoCal Departure | Copy. Delta 958 heavy, turn left heading 130. |
| 17:10:46Z | Delta 958 | Left 130, Delta 958 heavy. |
| 17:10:49Z | SoCal Departure | SkyWest 231 Echo, climb and maintain 12,000. Contact departure 134.35. |
| 17:10:54Z | SkyWest 231E | 134.35, climb and maintain 12,000. And thank you very much for your help. SkyWest 231 Echo. |
| 17:11:01Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, turn left direct [fix, sounds like "Clipper"]. |
| 17:11:03Z | Delta 958 | Left turn direct [fix], Delta 958. |
| 17:11:07Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, expect higher shortly. |
| 17:11:09Z | Delta 958 | Delta 958 heavy. |
| 17:11:14Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, possible pilot deviation. Advise you contact SoCal Approach at [phone number]. |
| 17:11:26Z | Delta 958 | Okay, [number]. |
| 17:11:32Z | SoCal Departure | Delta 958 heavy, contact LA Center 125.27. Good day. |
| 17:11:37Z | Delta 958 | 125.27. Good day, Delta 958 heavy. |
Radio audio was recorded by ATC.com and published by VASAviation. Aircraft positions are ADS-B data from Flightradar24. The scope above is our own drawing of that data. Transmissions are transcribed by ear and may differ slightly from the audio.
Procedures: FAA Order JO 7110.65 (Air Traffic Control), paragraph 2-1-6, Safety Alert, for traffic-alert phraseology, and the FAA's pilot deviation and compliance program guidance. Separation figures are the standard terminal radar minimums.