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Key Points

A Southwest Airlines flight narrowly avoided disaster when it had to dive abruptly to evade another plane near Burbank Airport. Two flight attendants were injured during the violent maneuver as passengers described being thrown from their seats. The FAA is now investigating the near-miss incident involving a Hawker Hunter aircraft. This comes just weeks after another close call between a passenger jet and military bomber in North Dakota.

Key Points: Southwest Flight Avoids Midair Collision Over Burbank Injuring 2

  • Southwest Flight 1496 descended 475 feet to avoid collision
  • Two attendants injured during aggressive evasive maneuver
  • FAA investigating near-miss with Hawker Hunter aircraft
  • Incident follows similar near-collision involving B-52 bomber
2 min read

Two injured after US passenger jet forced to descend to avoid midair collision

Two flight attendants injured as Southwest jet dives to evade midair collision near Burbank Airport, passengers recount terrifying ordeal

"People were screaming as the plane dove. A flight attendant is being looked at right now with an ice pack on her head. - Passenger"

Los Angeles, July 25

Two attendants were injured after a Southwest flight out of Southern California was forced to descend to avoid a potential midair collision.

The crew of Southwest Flight 1496 responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon while climbing out of Hollywood Burbank Airport, requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts. The flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully, according to a Southwest Airlines statement.

"Southwest is engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to further understand the circumstances," said the airline in the statement, adding: "No injuries were immediately reported by customers, but two flight attendants are being treated for injuries."

Passengers aboard the plane took to social media to share their terrifying experiences, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport. Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on the ceiling. A flight attendant needed medical attention," said Jimmy Dore, a comedian, in a post on X.

"The pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid a plane coming at us," he added.

Another passenger said on X: "People were screaming as the plane dove. A flight attendant is being looked at right now with an ice pack on her head."

The passenger called the incident another screwup that "almost cost the lives of the 150+ people on board."

About six minutes after the flight took off from Hollywood Burbank Airport and headed to Las Vegas, it abruptly descended 475 feet (144.78 meters) from 14,100 feet (4,297.68 meters), reported local KABC television station, citing data from Flightradar24.

The other plane, a Hawker Hunter, was at an altitude of approximately 14,653 feet (4,466.23 meters) when the Southwest flight began to descend, said the report.

The FAA said it is investigating the incident.

The incident came a week after a US passenger jet was forced to make an "aggressive manoeuvre" to avoid a midair collision with a US Air Force B-52 bomber in North Dakota.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
The flight attendants are the real heroes here - risking injury to keep passengers safe. Hope they recover soon. 🙏 Indian airlines should learn from such incidents and improve crew training.
A
Arjun K
Honestly, with the amount of air traffic these days, such incidents are bound to happen. The pilot did an amazing job avoiding collision. But FAA needs to answer some tough questions.
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Sarah B
As someone who flies frequently between Delhi and Mumbai, this gives me chills. We trust airlines with our lives every day. There should be stricter penalties for such safety lapses.
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Vikram M
The report says this is the second incident in a week! What's happening with US air traffic control? In India, DGCA would have grounded flights by now for investigation. Safety can't be compromised.
K
Kavya N
My heart goes out to the injured crew members. They don't get paid enough for this risk. Airlines worldwide need to invest more in safety tech - TCAS systems should be foolproof.

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