Southwest flights forced into extreme maneuver to avoid the middle of the air

A Southwest Airlines flight took a sudden decline to avoid a traffic collision in the air while resigning from Burbank, Calif.

The aircraft suddenly originated 475 feet to avoid a collision with a Hawker Hunter aircraft, ABC News reported. About six minutes after Southwest Flight 1496 took off from Hollywood Burbank Airport, it suddenly came down from 14 100 feet to 13,625 feet. The flight was tied to Las Vegas.

Steve Ulasewicz, a passenger on the flight, said he experienced a “significant drop” and told ABC News that the pilot announced that they had performed the maneuver to “avoid a Midair collision.”

“Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 responded to an onboard warning that another aircraft was nearby while he was in the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center Airspace,” said Federal Aviation Administration in a statement obtained by NBCLA. “FAA investigates the event that occurred around 11 o’clock local time on Friday 25 July.”

A Hollywood Burbank Airport spokesman told the NBCLA authorities “looking at the incident, but there is currently no evidence that it occurred in the airspace above our airport.”

Southwest Airlines confirmed that the crew responded to air traffic on board after resigning from Burbank. Two air hosts were treated for injuries, but no one else was injured.

“The crew at Southwest Flight 1496 responded to two traffic warning on board on Friday afternoon while they climbed out of Burbank … which demanded that they climb and go down to follow the warnings,” said Southwest Airlines in a statement obtained by NBCLA. “The flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed inevitably.

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“Southwest is involved in the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances. No injuries were immediately reported by customers, but two air hosts are treated for injuries. We appreciate professionalism for our flight crew and air hosts to respond to this event. Nothing is more important for southwest than the security of our customers and employees.”

People have reached FAA and Southwest Airlines for comments.