Southwest flight goes into free fall to avoid Cold War-era fighter jet

A Southwest flight abruptly descended nearly 500 feet to avoid a Cold War-era fighter jet, injuring crew and alarming passengers. — Image credit: Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

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Summary

Planes avoid collision

A Southwest flight from Burbank to Las Vegas plunged nearly 500 feet to avoid a privately owned fighter jet.

Alerts triggered

The planes came within two miles and a few hundred feet in altitude of each other, triggering collision avoidance alerts.

Passengers describe harrowing experience

Two crew members were injured, and passengers described a sudden, jarring drop.

Full story

For a second time this week, a commercial airline pilot had to make an aggressive maneuver to avoid a mid-air collision with another plane.

This time, a Southwest flight taking off from Hollywood Burbank Airport and destined for Las Vegas on Friday afternoon plunged nearly 500 feet to avoid a fighter jet at more than 14,000 feet in the air, according to flight data.

Jet crosses in front of commercial airliner

Southwest Flight 1496, a Boeing 737, was avoiding a Hawker Hunter, a type of military-style jet from the early Cold War era, flying at an altitude of 14,653 feet, according to Flightradar24. The jet crossed right in front of the Southwest plane, less than two miles away, and just a few hundred feet apart in altitude.

The Southwest pilot abruptly descended 475 feet to avoid hitting the Hawker Hunter. Both planes were several miles apart when their collision avoidance systems triggered alerts, designed to prevent mid-air collisions.

Passengers describe harrowing experience

Comedian Jimmy Dore posted to X, saying he was a passenger on Southwest Flight 1496. He wrote:

“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.”

Passenger Steve Ulasewicz told CNN: “There was a small initial drop that I thought was just like really bad turbulence. And then after that, there was this long free fall.”

Crew injured during incident

The New York Times confirmed two crew members were injured.

“The crew of Southwest Flight 1496 responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon… requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts,” Lynn Lunsford, Southwest spokesman, said in a statement reported by CNN.

“Southwest is engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances.”

The flight landed safely at 12:40 p.m. local time.

Recent pattern of close calls

The incident comes less than a week after a SkyWest jet landing in North Dakota on Saturday, July 19, had to abort its approach to avoid a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber in its path. The airline said it’s investigating.

Lauren Keenan

Lauren Keenan was an anchor and reporter for Straight Arrow News.

Tags: cold war, fighter jets, Las Vegas, Plane, Southwest airlines

Why this story matters

A Southwest Airlines flight was forced to make an abrupt maneuver to avoid a potential mid-air collision, raising questions about aviation safety protocols and alert systems after resulting in crew injuries and passenger distress, according to multiple sources.

Aviation safety

The incident highlights concerns about safety in U.S. airspace, as the Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into how two aircraft came into such close proximity, as reported by various news outlets.

Collision-avoidance technology

According to statements from Southwest Airlines and the FAA, onboard alerts prompted the abrupt maneuvers, demonstrating both the importance and the effectiveness of collision-avoidance systems in preventing mid-air accidents.

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Context corner

Close calls in U.S. aviation have attracted heightened scrutiny since a deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C. earlier in the year. Most commercial aircraft are equipped with collision avoidance systems that operate independently of air traffic control.

Policy impact

The incident may prompt review and possible enhancements of air traffic control and onboard collision avoidance procedures, but current policy discussions surrounding this specific event are still in early stages as investigations continue.

Solution spotlight

The use of Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) directly prevented a possible midair collision, demonstrating how current technology and crew training are critical safety solutions in commercial aviation.

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Sources

Bias comparison

Media outlets on the left frame the Southwest Airlines incident with empathetic tones, emphasizing passengers being "rattled" and "injured," spotlighting vulnerability and crew professionalism without delving into broader safety implications.
Media outlets in the center adopt a measured stance, noting injuries and FAA investigations with cautious terms like "possible collision" and "dramatic drop," balancing factual reporting and emotional nuance.
Media outlets on the right employs heightened rhetoric such as the flight being "forced to dive" and describing the maneuver as a "dramatic plunge," connecting the event to larger aviation safety concerns, including a recent midair collision, thus amplifying risk and scrutiny.

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Media landscape

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175 total sources

Key points from the Left

Passengers experienced a sudden drop on a Southwest Airlines flight from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Las Vegas, injuring two flight attendants.
The plane was Southwest Airlines flight No. 1496, which departed just before noon.
According to Southwest Airlines, the crew reacted to onboard air traffic alerts after departing from Burbank.
The flight crew was instructed to 'climb and descend to comply with the alerts,' and the plane landed safely in Las Vegas.

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Key points from the Center

Minutes after Friday’s departure from Southern California, Southwest flight 1496 plunged, injuring two flight attendants.
Southwest Airlines said its crew climbed then descended in response to two air traffic alerts after departing Hollywood Burbank Airport just before noon.
Passengers posted on social media about a dramatic drop soon after takeoff, yet Mike Christensen said no official logs recorded the plunge.
Southwest Airlines said the flight continued to Las Vegas and landed uneventfully, while the FAA said it is investigating the incident and is in contact with the airline.
Southwest Airlines said it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand the circumstances, and the FAA emphasized `Ensuring the safety of everyone in the national airspace system remains our top priority`.

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See Hide headlines from Center sources 84 sources

Key points from the Right

A Southwest Airlines flight performed collision-avoidance maneuvers after the pilot received two traffic alerts, injuring two flight attendants during the descent.
The plane descended 475 feet to respond to the alerts and continued safely to Las Vegas.
Southwest Airlines is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the incident, emphasizing passenger and crew safety.
Passengers reported being thrown from their seats during the rapid descent, citing an incident where individuals bumped heads on the ceiling.

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