LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank, California, safely landed in Las Vegas after performing an emergency maneuver to avoid colliding with another aircraft on Friday.
Minutes after Southwest flight 1496 took off from Burbank, it rapidly descended 475 feet to avoid hitting another plane — dropping from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet, according to flight tracking data and passenger accounts.
According to information shared with us from ABC News, the other aircraft was identified as a Hawk Hunter with the N-number "N335AX," which was at approximately 14,653 feet when the Southwest flight had to make its emergency descent, though the exact distance between both aircraft remains unclear.
Two separate passenger interviews conducted by ABC News and their local affiliate KABC in Los Angeles described the experience as chaotic and frightening.
WATCH | Passengers describe the free fall as "harrowing" and "chaotic"
"It was chaos, there was screaming, people were frightened. It was very scary," Chris Peterson, a Southwest passenger on board, told KABC.
Another passenger, Steve Ulasewicz, described to ABC News a "significant drop" about eight minutes into the flight as the pilot performed the maneuver to avoid a mid-air collision.
Passengers gave credit to the flight crew for keeping the cabin calm following the incident as tension was high.
Initially, passengers said one flight attendant was injured during the incident and received medical treatment after the plane landed at Harry Reid International Airport. According to Southwest Airlines, two attendants were injured.
Channel 13 reached out to Southwest Airlines. A spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement:
The Crew of Southwest Flight 1496 responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon while climbing out of Burbank, Cal., requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts. The flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully. Southwest is engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances. No injuries were immediately reported by Customers, but two Flight Attendants are being treated for injuries. 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.
The Federal Aviation Administration also released a statement to us saying they are investigating: "We are aware of an incident involving Southwest Airlines Flight 1496. The FAA is in contact with Southwest Airlines and we are investigating. Ensuring the safety of everyone in the national airspace system remains our top priority."
In an updated statement, the FAA said: "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."
