Southwest Jet Plummets, Evades Collision
Flight Attendants Injured After Near Miss
A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Las Vegas experienced a terrifying descent shortly after departing from Burbank, California, leaving two flight attendants with injuries. The dramatic maneuver was reportedly initiated to avoid a mid-air collision.
Sudden Descent and Collision Warning
Southwest flight 1496 received two alerts that triggered a rapid climb followed by a sharp descent. According to air traffic monitoring services and FAA registration data, the Boeing 737 narrowly avoided a collision with a Hawker Hunter jet, which is registered to a non-citizen corporation.
The good news is your 737 got an automated alert, your crew did what they were supposed to do and so your aircraft didn’t get dangerously close to the other (a Hawker Hunter jet fighter registered to a defense contractor). pic.twitter.com/Ge7WwOifWu
— John Wiseman (@lemonodor) July 25, 2025
Passenger Caitlin Burdi described the harrowing experience to Fox News, comparing it to a theme park ride. “About 10 minutes into the flight, we plummeted pretty far,” Burdi stated. “The screaming, it was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash.”
Another passenger, YouTube personality Jimmy Dore, shared his account on social media. “Myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention,” Dore wrote. “Pilot said his collision warning went off and he needed to avoid plane coming at us.”
Airline and FAA Investigating
Southwest confirmed the flight continued to Las Vegas and landed without further incident. The airline is collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the event.
“The FAA is in contact with Southwest and we are investigating. Ensuring the safety of everyone in the national airspace system remains our top priority,” the FAA said in a statement.
This incident marks at least the second near-miss in U.S. airspace this week. A Delta flight from Minneapolis to Minot, North Dakota, nearly collided with a B-52 bomber in a separate event. In March, a passenger jet at Reagan National Airport had a close call with a military aircraft, highlighting ongoing concerns about air traffic coordination. According to the FAA’s 2023 annual report, there were 177 reported “near mid-air collisions” in the United States.
