Shocking plunge by Southwest flight departing L.A. was to avoid another aircraft
The Boeing 737 jet dropped hundreds of feet in a little over 30 seconds during a flight on Friday, according to a flight tracking website.
Caitlin Burdi, who was on the flight, said it took a short plunge and then a more drastic drop as passengers screamed in terror.
'We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash,' Burdi told Fox News Digital in an interview at the Las Vegas airport. She said the pilot told passengers they had nearly collided with another plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the flight, Southwest 1496, was responding to an on board alert about another aircraft in its vicinity. The FAA is investigating. Southwest said the crew responded to two alerts that required the pilot to climb then descend. The flight left Hollywood Burbank Airport just before noon.
Another passenger, comedian Stef Zamorano, said she saw a woman who wasn't wearing her seat belt shoot up and out of her seat, and a man next to her was clutching her arm. A woman across the aisle was panicking, she said.
'She was pretty much verbalizing how we all felt, saying, 'I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground',' Zamorano told The Associated Press on Friday. Another woman was panicking and saying she wanted 'to get off this plane.'
The plane was in the same airspace near Burbank as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, according to the flight tracking site, FlightAware. Records show it is owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation, a British defense contracting company.
The company didn't respond to messages on Friday and Saturday seeking comment.
Southwest said the flight continued to Las Vegas, 'where it landed uneventfully.' The airline said that it is working with the FAA 'to further understand the circumstances' of the event.
This close call is just the latest incident to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January's midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.
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Bedridden woman was trapped as her Massachusetts apartment burned. Then two cousins jumped into action
Two cousins jumped into action to save a bedridden woman who was trapped in her burning apartment, according to local reports. Crews responded to reports of a fire in an elderly woman's apartment at Bradford Condominiums in Woburn, Massachusetts early Friday morning, the local fire department said. The resident was bedridden, and witnesses could hear her calling for help as smoke filled the second-floor apartment, local outlet Boston 25 News reports. That's when two cousins jumped into action. Sadush Brahimaj and Narti Qato heard the woman screaming for help and managed to climb up onto her porch, WCVB reports. "It was so dark, it was so dark and smoky, we couldn't see anything, just hearing her voice, 'Help, help,' all the time," Brahimaj told WCVB. "We didn't think anything else, we just went inside." The cousins tried twice to get inside the apartment building. The first attempt was 'too much,' so Brahimaj said he used his jacket to cover his face like a mask. 'The second time we got her,' he told the outlet. That's when other residents joined in, shining their flashlights to help guide the men and the woman to safety, WCVB reports. Crews arrived after the pair had pulled the resident from her burning bedroom onto the balcony, the local fire department said. Firefighters used a ground ladder to carry the woman down. The woman was taken to Massachusetts General with burns and smoke inhalation injuries, NBC Boston reports. The two cousins were also hospitalized and released soon afterward, WCVB reports. Woburn Fire Captain Bill Stukey praised their rescue efforts, Boston 25 News reports. 'A couple of the guys were able to get up onto the porch, get in through the slider,' Stukey said. 'They went in the back and crawled through the smoke and actually dragged her out. They did a good job.' The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the Red Cross is now assisting residents impacted by the fire, according to Boston 25 News.
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I ranked 13 fast-food double cheeseburgers from worst to best. My favorite was one of the cheapest.
We ranked double cheeseburgers from 13 fast-food chains to see which one reigns supreme. 7th Street Burger, the smallest chain, blew me away with its saucy smash burger. I thought In-N-Out's famous Double-Double was great value and undeniably delicious. Double the patties can mean double the deliciousness … but not all fast-food double cheeseburgers are created equal. A 2024 report from Datassential found that the average American eats about three burgers each month, and mostly orders them from quick-service restaurants. And, while chicken tenders may be the hottest fast-food menu item this year, burger chains like McDonald's and Burger King still trump most chicken chains. Over the years, I've tried practically every fast-food double cheeseburger on the market. For a definitive ranking, I tried double cheeseburgers from McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Shake Shack, White Castle, Whataburger, P. Terry's, Five Guys, Cook Out, Checkers, Sonic, 7th Street Burger, and In-N-Out. Here's every fast-food double cheeseburger ranked from worst to best. My least favorite double cheeseburger was from Burger King. It cost me $4.09. The burger was under $5, but I'm not sure it was worth the price. It comes with two of the chain's beef patties, American cheese, pickles, mustard, and ketchup on a sesame-seed bun. It comes with one slice of cheese. This burger was super filling, but I liked the other burgers I tried more. Right away, I tasted the thick beef patties. The burger had traveled a little more than 15 minutes from my local Burger King to my apartment, but the meat was still juicy and the cheese nicely melted. The pickle slices were thick and crunchy, and I enjoyed the sesame-seed bun, which added a nice textural element. But I thought there was just a little too much ketchup, which will likely vary depending on who's making your burger that day. It was also a little heavy for my liking. It filled me up a little more than I had anticipated before jumping into the rest of the burger comparison. Still, for a burger that costs just under $4, that might be more of an asset than a hindrance if you want a filling, inexpensive lunch. Next was Wendy's double cheeseburger, which the chain calls a Double Stack. I ordered it for $4.49. It was about the same price as the burgers from McDonald's and Burger King, though it landed squarely in the middle in terms of value. A Wendy's double cheeseburger comes with two junior-size hamburger patties, American cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickles, and sweet onion. The toppings looked a little stingy, and they were clustered in the middle of the sandwich. I would have liked to see them more spread out. The burger bun was fluffy and light, and the toppings had a ton of flavor. But I had to get a few bites in to reach the toppings in the center. The toppings themselves were amazing. I thought the pickles were the most flavorful out of the burgers I tried, and I liked the use of an onion ring rather than diced onion, although I would've liked more. The McDonald's double cheeseburger cost me $5.99. It was slightly more expensive than Wendy's version but had more toppings. It came with an extra slice of American cheese plus chopped onions, and I thought it was still relatively affordable. The double cheeseburger from McDonald's comes with two beef patties, pickles, chopped onions, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese. I was interested to see if the added toppings would amp up the flavor. I thought the ingredients came together well in this burger, but the bun was a little lackluster. The bun held everything together and was a good size, but it was a little too soft and didn't have a lot of flavor on its own. But I enjoyed the amount of condiments and didn't find them overpowering. The chopped onions added a lot of flavor, and the burger patties were juicy despite being thinner than the Burger King ones. I liked the added cheese, but didn't think it was necessary. Next up was the double-meat Whataburger with cheese. It costs $8.75 at a Whataburger in Austin, excluding tax and fees. I ordered it with a large bun, American cheese, grilled peppers and onions, pickles, and ketchup. The burger was a decent size and I could see the gooey cheese peeking out from underneath the soft potato bun. Unlike the other double cheeseburgers, this burger had sliced jalapeño peppers that I imagined would add quite the kick. The ingredients definitely set this burger apart from the others. I thought the burgers had a delightfully crispy texture to them, and the toppings added a ton of flavor. The bun was light and fluffy, but I did think the burger patties could have been a little thicker and juicier. Coming in ninth was the double cheeseburger from P. Terry's Burger Stand, a regional chain I visited in Austin. The burger cost $5.25, making it one of the cheaper burgers I tried. Despite being less expensive than the Whataburger double cheeseburger, the P. Terry's burger was larger. I ordered it with pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, and American cheese. I again thought the cheese could have been more melted, but the size definitely made up for that small detail. One of the benefits of ordering from P. Terry's is that you can easily customize your burger and add a number of toppings, including grilled onions, the chain's special sauce, tomato, lettuce, and more. I thought the burgers were juicy and the pickles had a tart crunch to them. The bun was slightly underwhelming, but I thought it was an excellent, large burger with tons of flavor, especially for the low price. I also thought the mustard really came through and added a lot to the burger. The double cheeseburger from Shake Shack was the second most expensive burger I tried. I paid $13.29 for a double cheeseburger. I could customize my toppings, but I went with pickles, onions, and Shack sauce. Right away, I thought the burger was massive. The burger patties were perfectly crispy on the outside and covered in gooey melted cheese. The pickles also looked large and homemade. It was even heavy to pick up. The toppings were generous and the chain's signature Shack sauce, which is a mayo-based sauce with a slight mustard flavor, made it really tasty. The cheese was thick and perfectly melted. However, biting into the Shake Shack burger was a little overwhelming, in my opinion. The burger was huge, which was both an asset and a hindrance. I struggled to get through more than a few bites. However, despite being the second most expensive burger, I thought it was worth the price. The burger patties were much thicker than the other burgers I tried, and the toppings took it over the edge in terms of flavor. Overall, I was impressed ... but stuffed. In seventh place was the double-decker burger with cheese from Checkers. The burger has since been replaced with the Big Buford, which has all the same ingredients but a bakery-style bun instead of a sesame-seed bun. The burger costs $8.39 at my local Checkers in Brooklyn. I thought this burger was a little pricey for the size. It was smaller than my hand, though it did include a variety of toppings like tomato, lettuce, and red onion. The burger also comes with American cheese, dill pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise on a toasted bun. The burger patties were very juicy, and the toppings tasted fresh. I also thought the American cheese was very tangy and flavorful. Overall, I enjoyed the combination of flavors. However, the price prevented this burger from ranking higher. I also tried the double cheese slider from White Castle. White Castle sliders tend to be eaten in pairs, so I ordered two. Each burger cost me $3.59, so I ended up paying $7.18. The burgers were small but packed with flavor. The burgers smelled strongly of onions and condiments the second I removed them from the bag. The amount of toppings on each burger was generous. The pickles were crunchy and flavorful. Though the burgers each had a bun sandwiched in the middle of the burger, it wasn't too bready — instead, it allowed the flavors to really come together while still being filling. I was blown away by the cheeseburgers from White Castle, a result I admittedly wasn't expecting. As the cheapest and smallest burgers, I was expecting them to be a little lackluster. However, I found that good things definitely come in small packages. The onions, condiments, and pickles were flavorful, but it was the beef that really impressed me. The small-but-mighty burger was one of the most flavorful out of the ones I tried, easy to eat, and perfectly priced. My fifth-favorite double cheeseburger was from Five Guys. Five Guys doesn't technically have a "double cheeseburger" — its regular cheeseburgers already come with two slices of cheese and two beef patties. My burger cost $13.55, excluding taxes and fees, making it the most expensive burger I tried. I was able to customize my toppings, but I ordered the burger with pickles, grilled onions, ketchup, and mustard. Right away, I noticed that the toppings were generous. The pickle slices were large, and none of the toppings cost extra to add. The burger was large without being too intimidating. I thought it was a perfect size. It required two hands to pick up and eat, but it wasn't as heavy as the burger from Shake Shack. Slices of melted American cheese coated each burger, and there wasn't so much sauce that it dripped out from underneath the sesame-seed buns. The burger patties were crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside. I thought the pickle slices were thick, crunchy, and tart. I also really enjoyed the choice of a sesame-seed bun — it added a bit of texture to each and every bite. The grilled onions also really impressed me. They were soft and almost caramelized, adding a lot of flavor that I didn't get from any other burger. My fourth-favorite double cheeseburger came from Sonic Drive-In. The SuperSonic double cheeseburger was the only burger I tried that came with lettuce and tomato. Since this was the default option, I decided to try it with these toppings rather than specifically remove them. The burger cost me $9.75, excluding taxes and fees. The burger came with a hearty serving of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, two slices of cheese, diced onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Unlike Sonic's quarter-pound double cheeseburger, which comes with two junior patties, the full-size burger has a combined half-pound of meat. The bun was perfectly soft but still held the sauce-covered burger together. The ingredients tasted fresh and vibrant. The tomato wasn't too watery, the lettuce was crisp, and the burgers tasted well-seasoned and juicy. Plus, the burger was a very generous size. However, despite all these accolades, I thought the price was a little steep compared to what I got from Cook Out and In-N-Out. My third-favorite double cheeseburger came from Cook Out, a regional chain I visited in South Carolina. You can order a "big double" from Cook Out any way you wish, but I ordered mine with cheese, ketchup, mustard, onions, and pickles. It cost me $4.99, not including tax. The burger came wrapped in foil and featured two juicy patties. It also had thick slices of fresh onion and large pickle spears layered on top of the burger. For the price, I thought the burger was out of this world. The cheese slices were thick and tangy, and the burger was perfectly moist and medium-rare. It was also very large, and, after already eating dinner, I struggled to get through more than a few bites, though I kept wanting to go back for more. At an amazingly low price, this burger definitely earned the second-to-top spot on my ranking. My second favorite came from 7th Street Burger, a smaller chain based in New York City. 7th Street Burger is a small chain of quick-service burger restaurants with 19 locations in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. Since it opened in 2021, the chain has quickly grown a reputation for its no-frills approach to smash burgers, which feature crispy patties, gooey cheese, and the chain's signature sauce. I ordered a double cheeseburger, which comes with two beef patties, American cheese, onions, pickles, and house sauce on a Martin's potato bun. It cost $11.21, excluding tax and fees. There wasn't much customization to do for this burger — you can't order it with lettuce or tomato. However, this burger was perfect exactly as the chain designed it. The burger patties were delightfully crispy on the outside yet managed to stay juicy. Melted slices of cheese oozed between the two thin, expertly griddled, and charred beef patties, all smothered in the chain's signature sauce, a creamy, tangy take on classic burger sauce. The burger was served on a pillowy-soft potato roll, which kept things simple. There were no lettuce or tomato slices to cut through the rich, savory indulgence, but that only added to the burger's savory flavor. I didn't miss the opportunity to customize my burger with additional toppings. It was probably the best smash burger I've ever had. With pickles and onions to round out the flavor, the double cheeseburger offered a satisfying, nostalgic flavor that elevated the classic smash burger experience. In my opinion, the best double cheeseburger I tried was the famous Double-Double burger from In-N-Out. It cost me $4.90, which I thought was an excellent deal for the large burger sitting in front of me. One of the first things I noticed was how thick the burger patties were — they were much thicker than other burgers I tried at a similar price point. Most Double-Double burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onions, and spread. To keep my burger similar to the other burgers I tried, I ordered it with onions, pickles, and spread, which I thought tasted similar to Thousand Island dressing. The first thing I noticed about the In-N-Out burger was how juicy the burger patties were, followed by the incredible layers of cheese. The cheese slices were perfectly melted and coated each part of the burger, something I couldn't say about any other burger I tried. The bun was perfectly soft and held everything together perfectly, while the special spread had my mouth watering for another bite. Of all the burgers I tried, I thought the In-N-Out double cheeseburger packed the most flavor for the best price. When it came to a double cheeseburger, the West-Coast chain really nailed it. The burger was beyond flavorful, the perfect size, and, in my opinion, very good value for money. The next time I'm in a state with an In-N-Out, I know where I'll be filling my burger craving. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
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Employee sparks outrage after sharing dark truth about Amazon returns: 'I think people completely forgot about that part'
A retail worker, who works at a store that accepts Amazon returns, shared an image with Reddit's r/Anticonsumption community showing six full pallets of returned items collected over just one weekend. What's happening? The image shows towering pallets packed with returned items, all gathered from a single store during one weekend. "Six full pallets of returns that will more than likely go to the landfills," the poster wrote, adding that they shared this with friends and family who regularly use Amazon, hoping to influence their shopping habits. This massive pile forms part of the estimated 3.5 billion products returned annually in the U.S. Many retailers find it cheaper to throw away returned items than to reprocess them. One Redditor commented, "With how easy returns can be, you essentially have the option to 'try it on in the store', but instead of leaving it on a hook for the employee to grab and save you the 2 minute walk to put it back, you don't have to go to the store at all. You can just send it back and forth across the entire f****** planet." Another replied, "I think people completely forgot that part!! It gets shipped from china, then onto a plane, then a truck, then a smaller truck to your door, then you get in your car and drive it the store to return, then another truck picks up those returns, then more trucks to whatever it goes from there." Why is excessive product waste concerning? Each returned item carries a carbon impact from its manufacturing process, plus additional pollution from shipping stages. Many returned products travel thousands of miles before ending up in landfills, where they release methane as they break down. For items with electronics or batteries, landfill disposal causes toxic chemicals to leak into soil and water. Even regular products add to overflowing landfills and waste valuable resources and energy. Is Amazon doing anything about this? Amazon has started some sustainability initiatives, including its Climate Pledge to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. Critics note that Amazon's business model encourages heavy consumption through features like one-click ordering and free returns. While the company has reduced some packaging, the problem of return waste remains mostly untouched. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Some Amazon facilities work with liquidation companies or donation programs, but this practice isn't common across all return locations. What can I do to help reduce return waste? You can take several steps to lower your shopping's environmental impact. Buy with intention by researching products thoroughly beforehand, making returns less likely. Shop locally when possible, which cuts shipping pollution and lets you see products before purchase. When buying online, check sizing charts carefully and read reviews to make better choices. Find online retailers with smarter return policies. Some stores have dedicated restocking systems rather than trashing returns. Before returning items, consider whether they could be fixed, reused, or donated locally instead. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
