Southwest Airlines passengers report near-miss collision on flight from Burbank to Las Vegas

BURBANK, Calif. – Some terrifying moments unfolded for several Southwest Airlines passengers who reported a near-miss collision Friday afternoon on a flight from Burbank to Las Vegas. 

A post on X by said the pilot of Southwest flight 1496 had to “dive aggressively” in order to avoid a midair collision over Hollywood Burbank Airport. The passenger said he and several other people on board flew out of their seats and bumped their heads on the ceiling.  

Passenger Caitlin Burdi told FOX News Digital that immediately after the incident, the pilot went on the intercom to say they almost collided with another plane and reportedly lost communication with air traffic control. 

“About 10 minutes into the flight, we plummeted pretty far, and I looked around, and everyone was like, ‘OK, that’s normal’. Then, within two seconds, it felt like the ride Tower of Terror, where we fell 20 to 30 feet in the air. The screaming, it was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash,” Burdi said.

Southwest Airlines issued the following statement to FOX 11, “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.”

A spokesperson with Harry Reid Airport in Las Vegas said one person onboard the flight was transported to the hospital; their condition or injuries are unknown.