A Southwest Airlines flight was forced to make a dramatic 300-foot descent just minutes after takeoff from Burbank, California, to avoid a potential mid-air collision with a British-built fighter jet. The incident left passengers panicked and two cabin crew members injured.
According to flight tracking data from FlightAware, the Boeing 737 dropped 91 metres (300 feet) in just 36 seconds after the pilot received an alert about a nearby aircraft. The sudden manoeuvre caused passengers to be thrown from their seats, with many fearing the plane was about to crash.
Comedian Jimmy Dore, who was on board, described the scene on social media: 'Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid mid-air collision… myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.' Passenger Stef Zambrano recalled seeing a woman who was not wearing her seatbelt thrown from her seat, saying 'I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground.'
Another traveller, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles that the moment felt like 'freefall' for about 10 seconds. 'People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down,' he said. Despite the terrifying experience, the aircraft continued to its destination in Las Vegas and landed safely.
It is believed the Southwest jet came into close proximity with a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British-built fighter jet. Southwest Airlines said it is cooperating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 'to further understand the circumstances' surrounding the incident. This is the second such incident in a week involving a passenger plane taking evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision, raising concerns about aviation safety in the United States.
