Passengers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank to Las Vegas experienced a sudden and alarming drop last Friday, as the pilot executed an emergency maneuver to avoid what could have been a catastrophic midair collision. According to FOX 11 reports, Southwest flight 1496 abruptly descended about 500 feet during the incident, which occurred roughly six minutes after takeoff from Hollywood Burbank Airport. After regaining control, the pilot addressed passengers, acknowledging the near-miss with another aircraft and a loss of communication with air traffic control.
Making for a particularly unnerving episode, passengers shared their experiences of the event. Caitlin Burdi recounted to FOX 11 a moment that felt akin to a theme park's drop ride, leaving passengers believing they were in a freefall toward a crash. Similarly, Steve Ulasewicz told ABC7 of an approximately 8- to 10-second dip, accompanied by screams from fellow passengers, likening it to his last moments.
Flight tracking data, per ABC7, reveals that the passenger plane's automatic collision avoidance system prompted the descent after identifying a potential threat from another aircraft, a Hawker Hunter fighter jet, that came within 4.86 miles of flight 1496. This system is designed to alert pilots of nearby planes, with one aircraft typically climbing and the other descending to prevent a collision.
Preliminary data, gained from understanding the circumstances of this near-miss, shows that the planes were several miles apart when the crews received their alerts. The Southwest flight descended 475 feet from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet in response. Southwest has since commended the professionalism of their crew in handling the situation and emphasized their commitment to customer and employee safety in a statement shared by both FOX 11 and ABC7. Two flight attendants sustained injuries during the occurrence, and one individual was transported to a Las Vegas hospital, as noted by a representative from Harry Reid Airport in communication with FOX 11.
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that an investigation into the incident is underway.
