E-Paper
Southwest flight dives to avoid collision in California, passengers ‘screaming’, 2 crew hurt
A Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank dove suddenly to avoid a midair crash with a fighter jet, injuring 2 crew.
A Southwest Airlines flight had a scare minutes after taking off from Burbank, California, on Friday. The plane suddenly dropped after an onboard alert warned that another aircraft was nearby. Two flight attendants were hurt, and passengers were shaken up.
The FAA said, “Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 responded to an onboard alert that another aircraft was in the vicinity while in Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center airspace.” Southwest said the flight had to “climb and descend” because of two alerts.
A source said the other aircraft involved was a Hawker Hunter MK 58, a single-seat fighter jet. FAA records show it’s registered to a company.
'Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision'
Passengers described the moment as terrifying. Comedian Jimmy Dore, who was on board, posted on X, “Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport. Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.”
Another passenger, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles the incident happened about eight minutes into the flight. He said the plane dropped for two seconds, then entered what felt like “freefall” for eight to ten more seconds. “People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down,” according to NBC news report.
No injuries were reported
Southwest said the flight landed safely in Las Vegas. “No injuries were immediately reported by Customers, but two Flight Attendants are being treated for injuries.”
At Harry Reid International Airport, medical staff met the plane. One person was taken to a hospital.
FAA records show the Hawker Hunter jet is registered in Newark, Delaware. NBC News has reached out to the company to confirm if the aircraft was theirs.
Also Read: Russian plane with nearly 50 on board crashes in eastern Amur region, all feared dead
Russian plane crash
In a different case, a Russian plane crashed in the eastern Amur region on Thursday. Their were 49 people on board , including six crew members.
Russia's emergencies ministry said on Telegram, “An Mi-8 helicopter operated by Rosaviatsiya (Russia's civil aviation authority) has spotted the burning fuselage of the aircraft,”according to Reuters.
