Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Sharp Descent Due to Nearby Aircraft Alert

A Southwest Airlines jet heading to Las Vegas from Southern California experienced a dramatic plunge shortly after takeoff in response to an alert about a nearby plane, causing some passengers to be thrown out of their seats and injuring two flight attendants.

The plane suddenly jolted after takeoff on Friday, giving the sensation of falling, according to passenger Stef Zamorano, who was on the flight with her husband to celebrate his birthday.

Ms. Zamorano witnessed a woman without a seatbelt being propelled out of her seat, causing panic among passengers. Data from FlightAware showed the plane dropped about 300 feet in 36 seconds.

The Federal Aviation Administration stated that Southwest Flight 1496 was reacting to an onboard alert about another aircraft in its vicinity, with an ongoing investigation.

Southwest mentioned that the crew responded to two alerts that required the pilot to climb and then descend. The flight departed from Hollywood Burbank Airport.

Passenger Jimmy Dore, an American comedian, reported that the pilot mentioned a near miss due to a collision warning going off and the need to avoid an approaching plane.

The incident involved the Southwest plane and a Hawker Hunter Mk 58 in the same airspace near Burbank. The Hawker Hunter is a British fighter plane owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation, a British defense contracting company.

Despite conflicting reports, Southwest confirmed that the flight safely landed in Las Vegas and is cooperating with the FAA to understand the event further.

This incident adds to concerns about aviation safety following a mid-air collision in January over Washington DC that resulted in 67 fatalities.

According to the source: BreakingNews.ie.