Southwest Flight from Burbank Takes Sudden Plunge to Avoid Collision with Military Jet

World News

Southwest Flight from Burbank Takes Sudden Plunge to Avoid Collision with Military Jet

4 months ago

News sources:

LATIMES

SFGATE

HUFFPOST 2

SCMP

Southwest Flight from Burbank Takes Sudden Plunge to Avoid Collision with Military Jet

Credited from: LATIMES

A Southwest flight from Burbank experienced a dramatic descent to avoid another aircraft.
The incident occurred shortly after takeoff, injuring two flight attendants.
The aircraft was alerted about a military jet nearby, necessitating evasive maneuvers.

A Southwest flight departing from Burbank Airport to Las Vegas made a sudden descent of approximately 300 feet after receiving alerts about a nearby aircraft. The flight, Southwest 1496, experienced the dramatic plunge shortly after noon local time. Passengers reported feeling startled and alarmed during the drop, which was reportedly to avoid a mid-air collision with a Hawker Hunter jet, a military fighter aircraft, according to latimes, HuffPost, and sfgate.

The aircraft crew responded to two onboard traffic alerts, prompting the necessity for both a climb and subsequent rapid descent. After landing safely in Las Vegas, officials from Southwest Airlines confirmed that two flight attendants were receiving medical treatment for their injuries, while no passengers reported injuries. Comedian Jimmy Dore, a passenger on the flight, shared that the pilot indicated a collision warning was activated moments before the drop occurred, illustrating the tense atmosphere on board, according to HuffPost and scmp.

HuffPost, scmp, and sfgate.