A Southwest Airline jet flying to Las Vegas from Southern California experienced a sudden drop shortly after takeoff due to an alert about another plane, resulting in injuries to two flight attendants. Southwest flight 1496 was prompted to climb and then descend in response to the onboard alert, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation.
Passengers reported the dramatic drop of the plane on social media, which descended approximately 300 feet in 36 seconds after takeoff. Comedian Jimmy Dore mentioned on X about the pilot avoiding a collision with another plane.
The incident occurred when the Southwest aircraft was in the same airspace near Burbank as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter plane owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd. Neither the control tower nor the airport operations department have a record of the incident, as stated by Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman.
Despite the scare, the flight continued to Las Vegas and landed safely. Southwest is collaborating with the FAA to investigate the circumstances surrounding the event.
This incident, following a recent mid-air collision in Washington, D.C., has sparked concerns about aviation safety.
