Passengers on Southwest Flight 1496 to Las Vegas experienced a terrifying nosedive when the pilot took action to avoid a midair collision, causing injuries as people hit the ceiling. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff from Burbank, California, and the airline confirmed the crew responded to two onboard traffic alerts.
Passengers aboard Southwest flight 1496 from Burbank, California to Las Vegas, Nevada experienced a frightening few seconds when the aircraft took a sudden nosedive to avoid a midair collision shortly after takeoff. The dramatic maneuver caused passengers to fly up out of their seats and into the ceiling as children and adults screamed, fearing the worst.
Two flight attendants are being treated for injuries, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The airline said the flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed ‘uneventfully,’ according to a statement. Southwest is engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances. The airline appreciates the professionalism of its crew in responding to the event.
Caitlin Burdi, who was on flight 1496, told Fox News Digital she had been on the same flight path before, so she knew the extreme turbulence was abnormal. ‘About 10 minutes into the flight, we plummeted pretty far, and I looked around, and everyone was like, ‘OK, that’s normal,’ she said. ‘Then, within two seconds, it felt like the ride Tower of Terror, where we fell 20 to 30 feet in the air. The screaming, it was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash.’
The pilot came on the intercom and said the plane almost collided with another plane, and they had lost air traffic control signal. ‘It was absolutely terrifying,’ Burdi said. ‘I just remember him saying, ‘What just happened was we almost collided with another plane, and I had to make the emergency attempt to go under because we lost service with the air traffic controller.”
Other passengers on the fearful flight took to social media to share their experience. Stand-up comedian Jimmy Dore wrote in an X post, ‘Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention. Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us. Wow.’
One flight attendant was dazed after hitting her head, passengers said. Another flight attendant announced he was quitting. Southwest Airlines is reviewing its protocols following the incident and has not yet released details about the cause. The incident raises questions about aviation safety and the effectiveness of air traffic control systems. Experts are calling for increased measures to prevent mid-air collisions and ensure passenger safety in the future.