Two Southwest flight attendants hurt after jet dives to avoid mid-air collision
Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites, marking the second time in a week that a US commercial jet was forced to make abrupt flight manoeuvres to avoid a potential mid-air collision.
The incident also appeared to be the fourth involving military aircraft since March.
The airline and the Federal Aviation Administration said the Southwest pilots took action after receiving cockpit alerts of other aircraft traffic being dangerously close. The Southwest Boeing 737 continued on to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully.
Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 identified the other aircraft as a Hawker Hunter fighter jet - a British-built aircraft - that crossed in front of the Southwest flight.
The planes came within 7.82km of each other laterally and 350 feet (107m) vertically. The US Air Force and Defense Department did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the military jet's presence near Burbank.
The FAA was investigating.
Two flight attendants were treated for injuries, the airline said, without providing details.
No injuries were immediately reported by passengers, according to Southwest. But one passenger told Fox News Digital the sharp descent stirred panic onboard.
"It was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash," Caitlin Burdi said in an on-camera interview. After the incident, "the pilot came on (the intercom), and he told us we almost collided with another plane".
According to a statement from Southwest, the incident began when its crew responded to "two onboard traffic alerts" while taking off from the Hollywood Burbank Airport north of Los Angeles, "requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts".
THREE EARLIER CLOSE CALLS
In a separate incident one week ago, a SkyWest Airlines jet operating as a Delta Connection flight from Minneapolis reported taking evasive action to avoid a possible collision with a US Air Force bomber during a landing approach over North Dakota on Jul 18.
The FAA said on Monday it was investigating last Friday's near-miss incident involving SkyWest Flight 3788, an Embraer ERJ-175 regional jet, which landed safely at Minot, North Dakota.
The Air Force confirmed a B-52 jet bomber assigned to Minot Air Force Base had conducted a ceremonial flyover of the North Dakota State Fair last Friday around the time of the SkyWest incident.
The Air Force said the bomber cockpit crew was in contact with local air traffic control before, during and after the flyover, and that the Minot International Airport control tower "did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft" as the B-52 was departing the area.
The FAA has said that air traffic services were provided by the Minot air traffic control tower, which is run by a private company and not FAA employees.
The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating a March 28 close call involving a Delta Airbus A319 jet and a group of Air Force jets near Reagan Washington National Airport. The four Air Force T-38 Talons were heading to nearby Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover at the time.
There has been intense focus on military traffic near civilian airplanes since an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet on Jan 29 near Reagan National, killing 67 people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
International Business Times
2 days ago
- International Business Times
Passengers Thrown from Seats as Southwest Plane Drops Abruptly to Avoid Mid-air Collision
A Southwest Airlines flight had a scary landing after taking off from Hollywood Burbank Airport in California. Flight 1496 was en route to Las Vegas Friday morning around noon when it sharply descended 475 feet after its collision warning system saw another aircraft in the vicinity, forcing the pilot to make a rapid maneuver. X The aircraft were responding to automated warnings of a potential collision, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. Inside the cabin, the sharp descent was chaotic. Passengers said they were thrown out of their seats, and two flight attendants were injured in the sudden maneuver. The pilot responded to "two air "alerts"—first to climb and then to descend, Southwest Airlines said in a statement. "The flight landed without incident in Las Vegas," the airline said, stating that the crew handled all required safety protocols and is now cooperating fully with the FAA's investigation. One of the passengers, comedian Jimmy Dore, posted his account on social media. "I and lmany other people flew out of our chairs and into the ceiling," he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). "A flight attendant required medical assistance. The pilot told the control tower that he had to take evasive action to avoid a plane," he added, referring to a collision warning he said has sounded. Data from aerial video tracking from Flightradar captured the abrupt change of course in altitude. But Hollywood Burbank Airport officials said the incident did not occur in their controlled airspace. Control tower and ground personnel did not notice anything out of the ordinary when the plane was taking off, said airport spokesman Mike Christensen. The other aircraft, according to the FA, was a Hawker Hunter jet headed to Huntingburg, Ind., while on its descent at an altitude of 14,653 feet. Officials are now trying to determine how close the two planes came to each other and whether any standard procedures were violated. While the flight continued uneventfully and landed safely in Las Vegas, the incident reflects increasing fears about the safety of air travel in the U.S. The incident comes just weeks after a fatal mid-air collision near Washington, DC in January that killed 67 people and renewed focus on air traffic control. The FAA said the public will have the opportunity to fully review it. In the meantime, passengers are thankful for the pilot's quick thinking, which probably prevented a more catastrophic tragedy.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Two Southwest flight attendants hurt after jet dives to avoid mid-air collision
WASHINGTON: Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines flight departing Burbank, California, were injured on Friday (Jul 25) after pilots took evasive action to dodge another aircraft on takeoff, the airline said. Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites, marking the second time in a week that a US commercial jet was forced to make abrupt flight manoeuvres to avoid a potential mid-air collision. The incident also appeared to be the fourth involving military aircraft since March. The airline and the Federal Aviation Administration said the Southwest pilots took action after receiving cockpit alerts of other aircraft traffic being dangerously close. The Southwest Boeing 737 continued on to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 identified the other aircraft as a Hawker Hunter fighter jet - a British-built aircraft - that crossed in front of the Southwest flight. The planes came within 7.82km of each other laterally and 350 feet (107m) vertically. The US Air Force and Defense Department did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the military jet's presence near Burbank. The FAA was investigating. Two flight attendants were treated for injuries, the airline said, without providing details. No injuries were immediately reported by passengers, according to Southwest. But one passenger told Fox News Digital the sharp descent stirred panic onboard. "It was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash," Caitlin Burdi said in an on-camera interview. After the incident, "the pilot came on (the intercom), and he told us we almost collided with another plane". According to a statement from Southwest, the incident began when its crew responded to "two onboard traffic alerts" while taking off from the Hollywood Burbank Airport north of Los Angeles, "requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts". THREE EARLIER CLOSE CALLS In a separate incident one week ago, a SkyWest Airlines jet operating as a Delta Connection flight from Minneapolis reported taking evasive action to avoid a possible collision with a US Air Force bomber during a landing approach over North Dakota on Jul 18. The FAA said on Monday it was investigating last Friday's near-miss incident involving SkyWest Flight 3788, an Embraer ERJ-175 regional jet, which landed safely at Minot, North Dakota. The Air Force confirmed a B-52 jet bomber assigned to Minot Air Force Base had conducted a ceremonial flyover of the North Dakota State Fair last Friday around the time of the SkyWest incident. The Air Force said the bomber cockpit crew was in contact with local air traffic control before, during and after the flyover, and that the Minot International Airport control tower "did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft" as the B-52 was departing the area. The FAA has said that air traffic services were provided by the Minot air traffic control tower, which is run by a private company and not FAA employees. The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating a March 28 close call involving a Delta Airbus A319 jet and a group of Air Force jets near Reagan Washington National Airport. The four Air Force T-38 Talons were heading to nearby Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover at the time. There has been intense focus on military traffic near civilian airplanes since an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet on Jan 29 near Reagan National, killing 67 people.
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
Two Southwest flight attendants injured after jet moved to avoid another aircraft, World News
WASHINGTON — Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines flight departing from Burbank, California, were injured and being treated on Friday (July 25) after pilots took evasive action to avoid another aircraft, the airline said. Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites. The airline and the Federal Aviation Administration said pilots took action after receiving alerts of a potential collision. The Southwest Boeing 737 continued on to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully. The FAA is investigating. No passengers were injured, but a passenger identified as Caitlin Burdi told Fox News Digital the sharp descent stirred panic onboard. "We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash," she was quoted as saying. According to a statement from Southwest, the incident began when its crew responded to "two onboard traffic alerts" while taking off from Burbank, "requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts." The incident came a week after a SkyWest Airlines jet operating as a Delta Connection flight from Minneapolis reported taking evasive action to avoid a possible collision with a US Air Force bomber during a landing approach over North Dakota. The FAA said on Monday it was investigating last Friday's near-miss incident involving SkyWest Flight 3788, an Embraer ERJ-175 regional jet, which landed safely at Minot, North Dakota. The Air Force confirmed a B-52 aircraft assigned to Minot Air Force Base had conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair last Friday and that military investigators were looking into the matter. ALSO READ: Plane wing tears into another plane's tail in Vietnam airport, 4 pilots suspended
