Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 makes most insane dive ever to avoid midair collision on flight to Las Vegas
🚨🚨Breaking News : At Southwest Airlines Flight WN1496 From Burbank to Las Vegas , pilots had to dive aggressively to avoid midaircollision with N335AX a Hawker Hunter F.58 aircraft.According to passengers, pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane… pic.twitter.com/H37KiQBAUC
Jimmy & Stef were aboard that Southwest Airlines flight traveling to Las Vegas today and got a wild ride! ✈️ Moments after takeoff from Burbank Airport, the plane nearly collided with a smaller jet. All passengers are safe. (And grateful to be alive!) pic.twitter.com/5YDSHEIoA3
Terror at 11,000 feet: A routine flight turns chaotic
About 10 minutes after takeoff, passengers felt the aircraft plummet violently. Frequent flyer Caitlin Burdi said the drop felt like a theme park ride from hell, describing it as something out of the Tower of Terror. She recalled how adults screamed, children cried and people slammed into the ceiling, truly believing the plane was going down.
A Southwest Airlines plane was forced to descend rapidly to avoid colliding with another aircraft, leaving two flight attendants injured and passengers 'shaken' pic.twitter.com/XE8Z9wjpJw
Earlier today, a Southwest Airlines 737 received a TCAS RA as a Hawker Hunter crossed in front of it. The Southwest jet descended while the Hawker climbed. At their closest point the aircraft were 4.86 miles apart laterally and 350 feet apart vertically. https://t.co/JroaZo5DrE pic.twitter.com/Ymhzc6Dd0K
A flight attendant quit on the spot
The aftermath was just as chaotic. One flight attendant reportedly hit her head and looked completely dazed, while another stunned crew member allegedly announced he was quitting. Stand-up comedian Jimmy Dore, who was on the flight, posted that many passengers, including himself, were flung into the air and hit their heads. He said the pilot warned of an aircraft collision alert and that evasive action was taken.
A young man caused chaos during a flight on board a #Southwest_Airlines plane 📹2-Chaos erupted on a Southwest flight from #NewYork to #Atlanta when a man went on a loud tirade, repeatedly calling a passenger behind him a 'loser' & daring him to 'hit me.'#USA The situation… pic.twitter.com/9FaWLgGJ4q
Pilot confirms a near miss
According to passengers, the pilot came on the intercom to confirm everyone's worst fears. He explained that the aircraft had nearly collided with another and that they had lost contact with air traffic control, prompting the emergency dive beneath the other plane.
#BREAKING Several passengers of a Southwest Airlines jet headed from #Burbank to #LasVegas say their pilot had to 'aggressively' dive to avoid a midair collision with another plane shortly after takeoff.#USA #SouthwestAirlineshttps://t.co/jQ5ST327uy pic.twitter.com/MzGsNdgFLy
Airline and FAA speak out
Southwest later confirmed that the crew had responded to two traffic alerts and had to quickly climb and descend to avoid danger. The flight eventually landed safely in Las Vegas, but the trauma left behind lingers. The FAA has launched a full investigation, confirming another aircraft was nearby during the event.
Southwest praised its crew for their response and assured that the safety of its customers and employees remains their top priority. But for those on Flight 1496, the memory of that nosedive is one they will not soon forget.
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