Elon Musk's Gulfstream G650ER lands in Los Angeles the week of the OpenAI appeal hearing

The Memphis leg is the tell. The aircraft's prior movement on September 21 shows a round trip from Los Angeles to Memphis and back, a route that matches xAI's data-center footprint in the city. As the Austin American-Statesman reported in its first-quarter travel tracker, Elon Musk's aircraft has made multiple trips to Memphis in 2026, tied to xAI's server buildout and the company's ongoing Clean Air Act litigation. If the owner was aboard for the Memphis stop, the visit would have been brief — the ground time was under four hours — and the return to Los Angeles suggests a working hop, not a layover. The same day, the aircraft's flight history shows a separate leg from Memphis to Austin, indicating the Gulfstream is being repositioned for a possible Texas turn.

This is not an unusual week for the fleet. The G650ER has logged 355 flights in 2024 and continues to run hot in 2026, with recent movements between Hawthorne, San Jose, Memphis, and Los Angeles. The owner's legal calendar has been the dominant force in the flight plan since the OpenAI trial ended in May, and the Ninth Circuit appeal is the next major checkpoint. If Elon Musk was aboard, he would be touching down in a city where he no longer keeps a home — he sold his California properties in 2020 — but where his companies still keep offices, courtrooms, and a standing invitation to testify. The aircraft, as always, is just the messenger.

For now, the G650ER sits on the tarmac at LAX, its next leg unannounced. The flight plan, like the docket, is subject to change without notice. [statesman.com](https://www.statesman.com/business/article/elon-musk-jet-travel-2026-texas-spacex-tesla-xai-22203608.php) [aerocorner.com](https://aerocorner.com/blog/elon-musk-private-jets/) [factinface.net](https://factinface.net/news/270066-elon_musk_flies_to_beijing_in_the_middle_of_his_150_billion_openai_courtroom_battle_as_a_judge_says_he_remains_subject_to_recall)