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International Business Times
5 days ago
- General
- International Business Times
Passengers Thrown from Seats as Southwest Plane Drops Abruptly to Avoid Mid-air Collision
A Southwest Airlines flight had a scary landing after taking off from Hollywood Burbank Airport in California. Flight 1496 was en route to Las Vegas Friday morning around noon when it sharply descended 475 feet after its collision warning system saw another aircraft in the vicinity, forcing the pilot to make a rapid maneuver. X The aircraft were responding to automated warnings of a potential collision, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. Inside the cabin, the sharp descent was chaotic. Passengers said they were thrown out of their seats, and two flight attendants were injured in the sudden maneuver. The pilot responded to "two air "alerts"—first to climb and then to descend, Southwest Airlines said in a statement. "The flight landed without incident in Las Vegas," the airline said, stating that the crew handled all required safety protocols and is now cooperating fully with the FAA's investigation. One of the passengers, comedian Jimmy Dore, posted his account on social media. "I and lmany other people flew out of our chairs and into the ceiling," he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). "A flight attendant required medical assistance. The pilot told the control tower that he had to take evasive action to avoid a plane," he added, referring to a collision warning he said has sounded. Data from aerial video tracking from Flightradar captured the abrupt change of course in altitude. But Hollywood Burbank Airport officials said the incident did not occur in their controlled airspace. Control tower and ground personnel did not notice anything out of the ordinary when the plane was taking off, said airport spokesman Mike Christensen. The other aircraft, according to the FA, was a Hawker Hunter jet headed to Huntingburg, Ind., while on its descent at an altitude of 14,653 feet. Officials are now trying to determine how close the two planes came to each other and whether any standard procedures were violated. While the flight continued uneventfully and landed safely in Las Vegas, the incident reflects increasing fears about the safety of air travel in the U.S. The incident comes just weeks after a fatal mid-air collision near Washington, DC in January that killed 67 people and renewed focus on air traffic control. The FAA said the public will have the opportunity to fully review it. In the meantime, passengers are thankful for the pilot's quick thinking, which probably prevented a more catastrophic tragedy.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Southwest Airlines flight headed to Las Vegas takes dramatic plunge in response to nearby aircraft
A Southwest Airline jet heading to Las Vegas from Southern California took a dramatic plunge shortly after takeoff Friday in response to an alert about a nearby plane, injuring two flight attendants, authorities and passengers said. Southwest flight 1496 was responding to an onboard alert about another aircraft in its vicinity, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA is investigating. The crew responded to two air alerts that required the pilot to climb then descend, Southwest said in a statement. The flight departed from Hollywood Burbank Airport just before noon. Passengers posted on social media that the plane took a dramatic drop soon after takeoff. Data from the flight tracking site FlightAware shows it dropped roughly 300 feet (91.44 meters) in 36 seconds. 'Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us,' comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X. The plane was in the same airspace near Burbank as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58 just after noon local time, FlightAware shows. A Hawker Hunter is a British fighter plane. Records show its owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd, a British defense contracting company. The company didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman for Hollywood Burbank, said that neither the control tower or the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, have any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace. 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.
5 days ago
- General
Southwest Airlines flight headed to Las Vegas takes dramatic plunge in response to nearby aircraft
LAS VEGAS -- A Southwest Airline jet heading to Las Vegas from Southern California took a dramatic plunge shortly after takeoff Friday in response to an alert about a nearby plane, injuring two flight attendants, authorities and passengers said. Southwest flight 1496 was responding to an onboard alert about another aircraft in its vicinity, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA is investigating. The crew responded to two air alerts that required the pilot to climb then descend, Southwest said in a statement. The flight departed from Hollywood Burbank Airport just before noon. Passengers posted on social media that the plane took a dramatic drop soon after takeoff. Data from the flight tracking site FlightAware shows it dropped roughly 300 feet (91.44 meters) in 36 seconds. 'Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us,' comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X. The plane was in the same airspace near Burbank as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58 just after noon local time, FlightAware shows. A Hawker Hunter is a British fighter plane. Records show its owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd, a British defense contracting company. The company didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman for Hollywood Burbank, said that neither the control tower or the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, have any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace. 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.
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Southwest Airlines flight headed to Las Vegas takes dramatic plunge in response to nearby aircraft
Passengers posted on social media that the plane took a dramatic drop soon after takeoff. Data from the flight tracking site FlightAware shows it dropped roughly 300 feet (91.44 meters) in 36 seconds. 'Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us,' comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X. Advertisement The plane was in the same airspace near Burbank as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58 just after noon local time, FlightAware shows. A Hawker Hunter is a British fighter plane. Records show its owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd, a British defense contracting company. The company didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman for Hollywood Burbank, said that neither the control tower or the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, have any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace. 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. Advertisement 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.
1News
5 days ago
- General
- 1News
US plane makes dramatic plunge to avoid collision with fighter jet
Two Southwest Airlines flight attendants are being treated for injuries after a passenger jet heading to Las Vegas from Southern California took a dramatic plunge shortly after takeoff in response to an alert about a nearby plane, the airline and passengers said. Southwest flight 1496 was responding to an onboard alert about another aircraft in its vicinity on Friday (local time), the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA is investigating. ABC News reported the plane rapidly descended to avoid a Hawker Hunter aircraft. The crew responded to two air alerts that required the pilot to climb and then descend, the airline said in a statement. The flight departed from Hollywood Burbank Airport just before noon. Passengers posted on social media that the plane took a dramatic drop soon after takeoff. ADVERTISEMENT "Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us," comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X. The plane was not in the immediate vicinity of the Hollywood Burbank Airport, north of Los Angeles, at the time, said Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman. Christensen said that neither the control tower nor the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, has any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace. Southwest said the flight continued to Las Vegas, "where it landed uneventfully". The airline said that it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration "to further understand the circumstances" of the event.
