US airplane dramatically plunges 300ft to dodge British fighter jet, injuring flight attendants
A Southwest Airlines jet heading to Las Vegas from Southern California took a dramatic plunge shortly after take off to avoid hitting a British fighter jet.
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The pilot carried out the drastic manoeuvre after being alerted about the nearby plane, plunging 300 feet in less than 36 seconds.
The fast drop sent passengers flying out of their seats and injured two flight attendants.
The plane suddenly jolted shortly after takeoff on Friday, and then felt like it was falling, said Stef Zamorano, who was flying to Las Vegas with her husband to celebrate his birthday.
In front of her, Ms Zamorano said she saw a woman who was "not wearing her seatbelt shoot up and out of her seat".
The man seated next to her was clutching her arm, and she said the woman across the aisle was panicking.
"She was pretty much verbalising how we all felt, saying, 'I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground,'" Ms Zamorano told The Associated Press.
Data from the flight tracking site FlightAware shows it dropped roughly 300 feet (91.44 metres) in 36 seconds.
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Just now on SW Flight #1496 Burbank to Las Vegas.
— Jimmy Dore (@jimmy_dore) July 25, 2025
Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport.
Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.
Pilot said his collision…
The Federal Aviation Administration said the flight, Southwest 1496, was responding to an onboard alert about another aircraft in its vicinity.
It is understood the plane was in the same airspace as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter jet, near Burbank.
Records show it is owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation, a British defence contracting company. The company did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The FAA is investigating.
Southwest said the crew responded to two alerts that required the pilot to climb then descend.
The flight departed from Hollywood Burbank Airport just before noon.
Still in shock, Ms Zamorano said she could hardly make out what the pilot was saying when he later addressed the passengers.
Another passenger, American comedian Jimmy Dore, posted on X that the pilot mentioned a near miss.
"Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us," Dore posted.
Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman for Hollywood Burbank, said that neither the control tower nor the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, have any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace.
Southwest said the flight continued to Las Vegas, "where it landed uneventfully".
The airline said that it is working with the FAA "to further understand the circumstances" of the event.
The close call is the latest incident to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January's mid-air collision over Washington DC, that killed 67 people.