Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 Evades Collision, Two Flight Attendants Injured

Two Southwest Airlines flight attendants were injured on a flight from Burbank, California to Las Vegas after the pilots made evasive maneuvers to avoid another plane. The Boeing 737 descended 500 feet, but landed safely. No passengers were injured. The FAA is investigating. The incident occurred after the pilots received collision alerts.

On Friday, July 2, 2025, Southwest Airlines Flight 1496, operating a Boeing 737, encountered a midair collision alert while departing from Burbank, California, en route to Las Vegas. The incident resulted in two flight attendants being injured as the pilots took evasive maneuvers to avoid a nearby aircraft. The flight landed safely in Las Vegas with no injuries to passengers.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Southwest flight received traffic alerts, prompting the pilots to climb and descend to comply with the alerts. This maneuver caused the Boeing 737 to descend nearly 500 feet before safely regaining altitude [1].

The flight tracking website Flightradar24 reported that a privately owned Hawker Hunter fighter jet was involved in the incident. The fighter jet was flying from El Paso, Texas to Ventura County Airport in Oxnard, California. The fighter jet crossed less than two miles in front of the Southwest plane within a few hundred feet of its altitude [2].

Passenger Steve Ulasewicz described the incident as a "long free fall" and reported that the plane dropped about 475 feet before climbing back up about 600 feet over the course of about a minute. The fighter jet went up about 100 feet in just a few seconds [2].

Southwest Airlines confirmed that two flight attendants were being treated for injuries, but no passengers were hurt. The airline is cooperating with the FAA to investigate the incident and understand the circumstances surrounding the collision alert [1][2][3].

Most commercial planes are equipped with a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which can direct pilots to climb or descend to avoid getting too close to other planes. TCAS operates independently of ground air traffic control, using radio frequencies from transponders in other aircraft [2].

The FAA is currently investigating the incident to determine if the aircraft were directed so close together or if one of them was in a location where they were not supposed to be. The investigation will also assess the effectiveness of the TCAS system in preventing midair collisions [2].

References:
[1] https://www.tradingview.com/news/reuters.com,2025:newsml_L1N3TM10E:0-two-southwest-flight-attendants-injured-after-jet-moved-to-avoid-plane/
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/25/us/southwest-fighter-jet-close-call
[3] https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/2-southwest-flight-attendants-injured-plane-burbank-airport/