After pilots were warned by the Federal Aviation Administration that another aircraft was nearby, a Southwest Airlines flight quickly fell several hundred feet to prevent a mid-air collision.
Six minutes after departure, Southwest Flight 1496 plunged approximately 500 feet to comply with traffic advisories given to the pilots while it was traveling from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Las Vegas on Friday.
“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 Federal Aviation Administration stated in a Friday statement.
On Saturday, the agency stated that it was looking into the issue and that it had no more details on the procedure to share.
Just before noon on Friday, the Southwest Boeing 737 commenced its ascent, according to data from the live flight tracking website Flightradar24.
According to Flightradar24, a decommissioned Hawker Hunter Mk.58 fighter jet was traveling to Point Mugu Naval Air Station in Ventura County, California, around the same time in the same airspace.
The Southwest airplane descended from 14,100 feet to 13,600 feet, according to Flightradar 24.
No customers reported any injuries, according to Southwest. According to airline spokesperson Lynn Lunsford, one flight attendant received minor medical attention after landing, while another was taken to a hospital.
After continuing to Las Vegas, the airline claimed that the flight landed “uneventfully.”
On social media, comedian Jimmy Dore shared his experience of the Southwest trip and detailed the “aggressive” airborne descent the aircraft made.
“Myself & plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling,” wrote. “The pilot reported that he had to dodge a jet that was approaching us after his collision warning went off. Whoa.
The Friday incident follows a mid-air collision that claimed 67 lives earlier this year between an American Airlines regional plane and a Black Hawk Army chopper over the D.C. area.
The FAA’s inability to address the long-standing scarcity of air traffic controllers was brought to light by that occurrence. President Trump’s plan to cut the government workforce, which included firing hundreds of FAA personnel, exacerbated the agency’s critics.
According to the FAA, none of the jobs that were cut had anything to do with air safety.
“Safety critical positions have and will continue to be exempt from any hiring freezes or deferred resignation programs,” Steve Kulm, a spokesman, stated.
“In addition to retaining these employees, the FAA has actually expanded hiring and onboarding for air traffic controllers and safety professionals including safety inspectors, mechanics and others who support them.”
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