Flight Plunges Nearly 500ft To Avoid Collision, Leaving Attendants Injured As Passengers Describe Chaos

Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight have shared terrifying moments of pure chaos when their plane suddenly dove to avoid what could have been a deadly mid-air collision.

Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 had taken off from Burbank Airport in Los Angeles and was en route to Las Vegas just before noon on Friday, July 25.

Only about six minutes into the short 70-minute journey, the aircraft suddenly dropped from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet. This rapid altitude change was confirmed by data from FlightRadar24.

The quick and sharp dive was reportedly done to avoid a crash with a Hawker Hunter, a military jet that came dangerously close.

According to those on board, the sudden movement sent people flying out of their seats. Many hit their heads on the plane’s ceiling, adding to the panic.

Southwest Airlines later confirmed through a statement shared with ABC News that two flight attendants were hurt during the incident. Thankfully, no passengers reported any injuries.

The 'aggressive' dip occurred six minutes after take-off Mario Tama/Getty Images

Passengers said the sudden drop lasted somewhere around 10 seconds, but the panic it caused felt much longer.

One of those passengers, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBCLA how people were screaming as the plane dropped, only calming down once the aircraft steadied itself.

Flight data later showed that the aircraft, which had been flying at about 450 mph, started climbing again roughly 20 seconds after the dive began.

"It felt like a significant drop." he said. "The plane was just in a freefall. People were screaming - it was total pandemonium."

Ulasewicz recalled that the drop happened just moments after the flight crew had announced that beverage service would soon begin.

He also mentioned that once things settled, the pilot came on the intercom to let everyone know that the plane had used its onboard alert system to avoid a potential mid-air collision.

Beverage service was about to begin when the manoeuvre happened AVI Stock/Getty Images

Ulasewicz said one flight attendant looked like she had been hurt. She was seen pressing an ice pack against her head shortly after the incident.

Among the passengers on board was comedian Jimmy Dore. He also spoke about the intense moment, describing how people were tossed around inside the cabin during what he called an aggressive dive.

"Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport." he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after landing safely in Las Vegas.

"Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention." the 60-year-old California-based comedian said.

In response, the FAA issued a statement saying: "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 Airlines said that the flight continued on to its planned destination and landed without further issues.

The airline added that they are working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand exactly what went wrong, according to ABC.

The airline also stated: "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."