'People flew out of their seats': Plane with over 150 passengers nosedives 475 feet to avoid midair collision with fighter jet

On Friday (Jul 25), passengers travelling from Burbank, California, to Las Vegas flew out of their seats as their flight plunged hundreds of feet to avoid collision with another aircraft. Just minutes after takeoff from Las Vegas, prompt action by pilots of Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 helped avoid what could have been another tragic plane crash, one of many in recent days. The passenger plane, which had over 150 passengers, was forced to rapidly descend 475 feet (144.78 m) to avoid a midair collision over the Burbank airport. Reports suggest that two flight attendants were injured as the plane dropped from 14,100 ft to 13,625 ft just 6 minutes after takeoff.

Plane 'aggressively' dove midair

American stand-up comedian Jimmy Dore who was aboard the plane, in a post on X said that "myself & plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling" as the flight "aggressively" dove midair. He added that the passengers were told by the pilot that "his collision warning went off & he needed to (perform the emergency manoeuvre) avoid plane coming at us".

In a statement, the US Federal Aviation Administration said that it was "investigating the incident." Meanwhile, Southwestern Airlines said its crew "responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon… requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts." It added that it was "engaged with the FAA" and that following the alarming incident, the flight "continued to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully". It also confirmed that while no passengers were injured, two flight attendants were "being treated for injuries."

What happened?

According to FlightAware, a passenger plane was in the airspace, identified as a privately owned Hawker Hunter Mk 58 fighter jet, near Burbank. Just minutes after takeoff, the plane's traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) went off, forcing pilots to rapidly nosedive the plane by 475 feet. The incident has raised further questions about aviation safety in the United States. It comes just months after the tragic Potomac River midair collision in which 67 people were killed as American Airlines Flight 5342 and a United States Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided midair over the river in Washington.