Southwest crew members injured as jet makes sharp evasive move post takeoff

By Allyson Versprille and Mary Schlangenstein

 

Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines Co jet were injured Friday after the pilot had to maneuver sharply in response to alerts that another aircraft was in the vicinity.  

About six minutes after takeoff, Southwest Airlines flight 1496 dropped 625 feet — to 13,475 feet from 14,100 feet, according to Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights. 

 

The airline said in a statement that the crew received two traffic safety alerts while climbing out of Burbank, California, “requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts.” 

 

At their closest point, the two planes were 4.86 miles apart laterally, according to Flightradar24, with only 350 feet of vertical separation.

 

The US Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it’s investigating the incident. 

 

ABC News reported that the aircraft the Southwest flight maneuvered to avoid was a Hawker Hunter jet. A passenger described feeling a “significant drop” in an interview with the outlet.  

 

Following the incident, the plane continued on to Las Vegas “where it landed uneventfully,” Southwest said. 

 

No injuries were reported immediately by customers. The two flight attendants were being treated, the carrier said. 

 

The incident comes a week after a Delta Air Lines Inc jet was forced to abort landing to avoid a midair collision with a B-52 bomber in North Dakota.