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Topics: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Travel, US News
Ellie Kemp
Airline passengers have described the 'pandemonium' aboard a Southwest flight after the plane took a sudden, dramatic dive to avoid a mid-air collision.
Southwest Airlines flight No. 1496 departed from Burbank Airport Los Angeles was heading for Las Vegas, just before noon on Friday (July 25).
Around six minutes into the one hour and 10 minute journey, the plane dropped from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet, according to FlightRadar24 data.
The manoeuvre was reportedly pulled to avoid the aircraft crashing into a Hawker Hunter military jet.
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Passengers spoke of how people 'flew' out of their seats, bumping their heads on the plane's 'ceiling'.
Two flight attendants were treated for injuries following the incident, Southwest Airlines confirmed (via ABC News), but no passengers were hurt.
Those on board - who said the dip lasted up to 10 seconds - described the mayhem it caused.
Spooked passenger Steve Ulasewicz told NBCLA that as the aircraft dipped, passengers screamed until things began to smooth out.
Data showed that the plane - which was traveling at 450 mph - began to climb some 20 seconds after the initial decline.
"It felt like a significant drop," he said. "The plane was just in a freefall. People were screaming - it was total pandemonium."
The drop occurred minutes after cabin crew had confirmed beverage service would begin, Ulasewicz said.
He added that once the situation has calmed down, the pilot announced the plane had used onboard software to avoid a midair collision.
One flight attendant appeared to be injured and had applied an ice pack to her head, Ulasewicz claims.
Among those on the flight was comedian Jimmy Dore, who recalled how people were thrown about the cabin during the 'aggressive' dive.
“Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after landing in Sin City.
“Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention,” the California-based funnyman, 60, said.
The FAA said in a statement: "Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 responded to an onboard alert that another aircraft was in the vicinity while in Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center airspace.
"The FAA is investigating the event that occurred around 11 a.m. local time on Friday, July 25."
Southwest said the flight continued to its destination 'where it landed uneventfully,' adding that it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration 'to further understand the circumstances' of the event, ABC reports.
The statement added: “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."