Southwest Flight’s Daring Dive to Prevent Mid-Air Collision: Passengers Shaken!

Passengers experienced an unexpected descent during the flight

ESSENTIAL DETAILS

• A flight operated by Southwest Airlines, taking off from Burbank, California, executed an abrupt descent to evade a potential mid-air collision.
• The aircraft narrowly avoided a clash with a Hawker Hunter plane.
• While no passengers were harmed, two flight attendants received medical attention following the incident.

A recent flight by Southwest Airlines had to quickly descend to avoid a collision with another aircraft soon after departing from Burbank, California.

The aircraft dropped approximately 475 feet to evade a Hawker Hunter jet, according to a report by ABC News. This incident occurred just six minutes after Southwest Flight 1496 left Hollywood Burbank Airport, plummeting from an altitude of 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet on its route to Las Vegas.

Steve Ulasewicz, one of the passengers, described the event as a “significant drop” and recalled the pilot explaining over the intercom that the sudden maneuver was to “avoid a midair collision.”

Additional Reports

Southwest Airlines confirmed that the flight crew responded to air traffic alerts after the plane had left Burbank. Two flight attendants were attended to for injuries sustained during the incident, but all passengers were reported safe.

“The crew of Southwest Flight 1496 had to respond to two traffic alerts shortly after takeoff from Burbank which necessitated both ascent and descent to adhere to the safety protocols,” Southwest Airlines elaborated in a statement provided to NBCLA. “The flight proceeded to its destination in Las Vegas without further events.”

“Southwest is in communication with the FAA to thoroughly understand the specifics of what occurred. While no passengers reported injuries immediately, two flight attendants are receiving care for their injuries. We are grateful for the professionalism displayed by our pilots and flight attendants during this incident. At Southwest, nothing is more vital than the safety of our passengers and crew,” the airline added.

PEOPLE has reached out to both the FAA and Southwest Airlines for additional comments on the matter.