Southwest Flight Dodges Jet, 2 Attendants Injured Midair

Photo: AP

A Southwest Airlines flight that took off from Burbank, California, had a frightening moment in the sky on Friday when pilots had to make a sudden move to avoid another aircraft. The flight, which was heading to Las Vegas, dropped almost 500 feet quickly after an alert warned the pilots about another aircraft flying dangerously close.

Two flight attendants were injured during this sudden movement. While the flight continued safely and landed in Las Vegas without further issues, the experience left some passengers deeply shaken. This was not just a rare incident — it is one of several recent close calls involving commercial and military aircraft in U.S. skies.

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What Happened During the Flight?

Southwest Flight 1496 had just taken off from Hollywood Burbank Airport, located just north of Los Angeles. As the plane climbed into the sky, the pilots received two urgent cockpit alerts. These alerts warned them that another aircraft was coming too close for comfort.

To avoid a possible crash, the pilots quickly reacted. They changed the altitude of the plane by climbing and then diving suddenly. In this sharp descent, the aircraft dropped nearly 500 feet. Flight tracking websites confirmed this sudden dip.

Though the pilots managed to keep control and fly the plane safely to its destination in Las Vegas, the force of the movement caused two flight attendants to get injured. Southwest Airlines confirmed the injuries, though they did not say exactly how serious they were. No passengers were reported to be injured, but one passenger said that the experience was terrifying.

A Passenger’s Terrifying Experience

Caitlin Burdi, a passenger on board the flight, shared her experience in an interview with Fox News Digital. She said the sharp dive made people panic and fear the worst.

“It was terrifying,” she said. “We really thought we were plummeting into a plane crash.” After the danger passed, the pilot came on the intercom and told the passengers that the plane had narrowly avoided colliding with another aircraft.

What Kind of Aircraft Caused the Near Collision?

According to Flightradar24, a popular flight tracking service, the other aircraft involved was identified as a Hawker Hunter fighter jet. This type of aircraft was built in Britain and is typically used for military purposes. The fighter jet flew across the path of the Southwest flight during takeoff.

The two planes came dangerously close. They were only about 4.86 miles (7.82 km) apart side-to-side and just 350 feet (107 meters) apart up and down. That is very close in aviation terms, especially for large planes traveling at high speeds.

The U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense have not yet responded to questions about why the military jet was flying in that area.

FAA and NTSB Start Investigation

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the event and said it is now investigating. The agency said the Southwest pilots responded correctly to the alerts. These alerts are part of an onboard system designed to warn pilots when another aircraft is getting too close.

In many ways, this system may have prevented a much worse disaster. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also expected to look into this incident, especially because it adds to a troubling pattern of similar events.

Not the First Near Miss This Year

This was not the only time something like this has happened recently. Just a week before the Southwest flight incident, there was another close call. On July 18, a SkyWest Airlines plane flying for Delta Connection had to take sudden action to avoid a U.S. Air Force bomber while trying to land in Minot, North Dakota.

SkyWest Flight 3788 was flying an Embraer ERJ-175 jet from Minneapolis. It landed safely, but only after pilots had to maneuver quickly to avoid the bomber. The FAA confirmed it is also investigating that incident.

In that case, the Air Force said that a B-52 bomber from Minot Air Force Base had performed a ceremonial flyover of the North Dakota State Fair around the same time.

The Air Force said that the bomber crew was in touch with the local air traffic control tower the entire time. However, they also said that the tower did not warn them about the incoming SkyWest commercial plane. The Minot tower is not run by FAA workers but by a private company, which may be part of the problem.

Earlier Close Calls Involving Military Jets

There were even more cases in the months before. On March 28, a Delta Airlines Airbus A319 came dangerously close to a group of four T-38 Talon jets, which are used by the U.S. Air Force.

These military jets were flying to Arlington National Cemetery to perform a flyover. The incident happened near Reagan Washington National Airport. Investigators are still looking into how the near miss occurred and why the aircraft got so close.

Another serious incident happened on January 29. A U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet collided near Reagan National Airport. That crash killed 67 people, making it one of the deadliest air traffic mistakes in recent history.

This tragedy caused major changes. In early May, the FAA decided to ban Army helicopter flights near the Pentagon because of the risk they pose to civilian aircraft in such a busy airspace.

Growing Concern About Military and Civilian Air Traffic

The recent incidents have raised important questions about how military and civilian aircraft share the skies. Many of these close calls have happened near major cities and busy airports.

Experts and aviation authorities are now calling for better communication and clearer rules between military pilots and civilian air traffic control. When different systems don’t talk to each other, dangerous situations can happen fast.

Friday’s close call involving Southwest Flight 1496 is a reminder of how quickly a routine flight can become a life-threatening situation. Thanks to the quick actions of the pilots and the alert systems in place, a disaster was avoided.

But the injuries to the two flight attendants and the fear felt by passengers show that the situation was serious. With several similar incidents already this year, both the FAA and NTSB are under pressure to find out what’s going wrong and how to fix it.

Air travel is still very safe, but safety systems and communication need to keep up with the growing number of flights in both the civilian and military skies. As the investigations continue, passengers and airlines alike hope for improvements that can help prevent such scary moments in the future.