'It was pandemonium': Southwest flight plummets 14,100 feet in minutes ‘in a free fall’ to avoid ‘midair collision'

Two flight attendants were injured after a commercial Southwest Airlines jet suddenly dropped 475 feet to avoid a “midair collision” shortly after takeoff at a Los Angeles-area airport Friday. Passengers posted online that the pilot was forced to rapidly change course to avoid a potential collision with another aircraft.

Flight 1496 from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Las Vegas plummeted rapidly, lifting passengers out of their seats. The crew "responded to two onboard traffic alerts... requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts", Southwest said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was investigating the "incident". It comes less than one week after a similar near-miss.


According to FlightRadar24 data, Southwest Flight 1496 dove from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet just six minutes after taking off from Hollywood Burbank Airport. The pilot told concerned flyers hat the drastic maneuver was carried out to avoid “a midair collision,” passenger Steve Ulasewicz told ABC News.

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Felt like a "significant drop"

Steve Ulasewicz said they experienced what felt like a "significant drop" when the pilot announced that they had performed the maneuver to "avoid a mid-air collision."

"There was about, I would say, eight-second, 8 to 10-second drop of free fall," Ulasewicz said. "Never experienced that. Everybody in the plane started screaming. Definitely felt like that was it. Like this is how I'm going to go out. “The plane was just in a free fall. It was pandemonium,” he told NBC 4 Los Angeles. The pilot told passengers in an onboard update after the scare that the plane used software to make the evasive move, Ulasewicz told NBC.

Comedian Jimmy Dore was on the flight, relaying that he and several other flyers were tossed about the cabin during the startling descent.

“Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport,” he wrote on X after landing in Sin City.

“Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention,” the California-based funnyman, 60, said.

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Dore’s manager was also on the plane and was floored by the near-catastrophe.

“We’re driving home,” Stef Zamoramo said in a video posted on X from the cabin.

The passenger also said a flight attendant was injured and met by medical personnel once the plane arrived in Las Vegas.

SouthWest Airlines issues statement

Southwest said in a statement that its pilots were responding to two onboard traffic alerts and that the descent action was to “comply” with those warnings.

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"Southwest is engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances. No injuries were immediately reported by Customers, but two Flight Attendants are being treated for injuries. We appreciate the professionalism of our Flight Crew and Flight Attendants in responding to this event. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees."