Southwest Airlines passengers thrown out of seats as pilot 'avoids collision'

Two flight attendants were injured and passengers left "shaken" after a Southwest Airlines plane reportedly descended rapidly to avoid colliding with another aircraft.

The incident took place on Friday July 25 after Southwest Flight 1496 departed Burbank, California, on Friday afternoon en route to Las Vegas, Nevada. The dramatic dive was captured in eyewitness accounts and social media posts, with several passengers, including comedian Jimmy Dore, describing the terrifying incident.

Dore said the pilot told passengers that an aircraft collision warning had been triggered in the cockpit, forcing him to take immediate action to avoid another plane. He added: "Myself & plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention."

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A video shared by Dore's producer Stef Zamorano, who he was travelling with, showed shaken passengers moments after the horrifying incident. Passenger Steve Ulasewicz told ABC News that people onboard experienced what felt like a "significant drop" before the pilot announced that the maneuver was carried out to "avoid a mid-air collision."

A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said: "The Crew of Southwest Flight 1496 responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon while climbing out of Burbank, Cal., requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts. The flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully.

"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."

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