Two flight attendants were injured and passengers were left “shaken” after a Southwest Airlines plane made a sudden descent to avoid a potential mid-air collision.
The incident occurred on Friday, July 25, as Southwest Flight 1496 was ascending from Burbank, California, bound for Las Vegas, Nevada. Eyewitnesses and social media posts detailed the frightening event, with comedian Jimmy Dore among the passengers recounting the ordeal.
Dore revealed that the pilot informed those on board about an aircraft collision warning in the cockpit, which necessitated immediate evasive action to dodge another aircraft. He recounted: “Myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.”
Stef Zamorano, Dore’s producer who accompanied him, shared a video capturing the distressed passengers just after the terrifying episode. Passenger Steve Ulasewicz conveyed to ABC News the sensation of a “significant drop” followed by the pilot’s explanation that the manoeuvre was to “avoid a mid-air collision.”
A representative for Southwest Airlines commented: “The Crew of Southwest Flight 1496 responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon while climbing out of Burbank, Cal., requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts. The flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully.”, reports the Mirror.
“Southwest is engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances. No injuries were immediately reported by Customers, but two Flight Attendants are being treated for injuries.
“We appreciate the professionalism of our Flight Crew and Flight Attendants in responding to this event. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”