LAS VEGAS (BN24) — A Southwest Airlines flight descended sharply minutes after departing from Burbank, California, on Friday in a harrowing maneuver to avoid another aircraft, leaving passengers shaken and two flight attendants injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident involved Southwest Flight 1496, which was en route to Las Vegas when an onboard collision-avoidance system alerted pilots to another aircraft in close proximity. The incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. while the plane was flying through Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center airspace.
According to the FAA, the aircraft “responded to an onboard alert that another aircraft was in the vicinity,” prompting a sudden change in altitude. Southwest Airlines said the crew received two alerts requiring the aircraft “to climb and descend.”
A source familiar with the matter said the second aircraft involved in the alert was a Hawker Hunter MK 58, a single-seat military-style fighter jet registered to a private company in Newark, Delaware. FAA records show the jet is not part of any commercial airline fleet. NBC News has contacted the company for confirmation.
On board the Southwest flight, panic quickly set in as the jet took an abrupt dive, reportedly tossing passengers into the air. Comedian Jimmy Dore, a passenger on the flight, said on social media that the pilot “had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport,” describing how people “flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling.”
Passenger Steve Ulasewicz told NBC Los Angeles that about eight minutes after takeoff, the plane experienced what initially felt like turbulence, followed by a sudden and sustained drop. “It was a significant drop for about two seconds, then maybe like three seconds after that the plane was in a freefall for around eight to ten seconds,” he said. “People were screaming. It was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down.”
Despite the terrifying descent, the aircraft landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Southwest confirmed that while no passengers reported immediate injuries, two flight attendants required medical treatment.
A spokesperson for the Las Vegas airport said emergency personnel met the aircraft at the gate, and one injured crew member was transported to a hospital. The extent of their injuries was not disclosed.
The FAA has opened an investigation into the near-miss incident. It remains unclear how close the two aircraft came to one another or why the fighter jet was operating near commercial airspace during the time of the flight.
