A Southwest flight that departed Burbank, California, en route to Las Vegas, Nevada, nosedived to avoid a mid-air collision on Friday.
Two flight attendants were injured after the plane quickly descended to avoid colliding with a Hawker Hunter.
“The other plane, a Hawker Hunter with the N number N335AX, was at an altitude of approximately 14,653 feet when the Southwest flight began to descend,” ABC News reported.
Passengers reportedly flew out of their seats.
ABC News posted the flight tracker showing the near miss:
A Southwest flight rapidly descended 475 feet to avoid another plane on Friday, according to flight tracking data and passengers on the plane.https://t.co/lZ61zIbeCS pic.twitter.com/gAemAJlRBE
— ABC News (@ABC) July 25, 2025
ABC News reported:
A Southwest flight rapidly descended 475 feet to avoid a Hawker Hunter aircraft on Friday, according to flight tracking data and passengers on the plane.
About six minutes after Southwest flight 1496 took off from Hollywood Burbank Airport in Los Angeles County, it abruptly descended from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet, according to flightRadar24.
Steve Ulasewicz, a passenger on the flight who said that they experienced what felt like a “significant drop,” told ABC News the pilot announced that they had performed the maneuver to “avoid a midair collision.”
Southwest Airlines said in a statement that two flight attendants are being treated for injuries after the incident.
A terrified passenger described what happened the moment the Southwest plane quickly descended to avoid collision.
“About 10 minutes into the flight, we plummeted pretty far, and I looked around, and everyone was like, ‘OK, that’s normal’,” one passenger said in a video posted by Fox News.
“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,” she said.
WATCH:
NEW: Southwest pilot forced to nosedive to avoid a midair collision after takeoff from Burbank to Las Vegas.
Passengers were reportedly launched out of their seats into the ceiling, with passengers comparing the incident to the ‘Tower of Terror’ ride.
“About 10 minutes into the… pic.twitter.com/8QQKoDslP3
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 25, 2025
