✈️ Dramatic Mid-Air Dive: Southwest Flight 1496’s Narrow Escape Over Burbank
📅 Incident Overview
Date & Route: July 25, 2025 — Southwest Flight 1496 from Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) to Las Vegas
Emergency Descent: Within six minutes of takeoff, the Boeing 737-700 abruptly descended from 14,100 ft to 13,625 ft (approx. 475 ft) in response to onboard collision alerts.
Threatening Aircraft: A Hawker Hunter fighter jet (tail number N335AX) was identified as the potential colliding aircraft, flying at about 14,653 ft, only around 4.9 miles laterally and 350 ft vertically away at closest approach.
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⚠️ Passenger Reactions & Injuries Sustained
Passengers reported a sudden “free-fall” lasting 8–10 seconds, during which some were thrown from their seats into the ceiling. Screams and panic ensued.
Two flight attendants were injured—one reportedly hit her head on the ceiling while preparing service. They were treated after landing in Las Vegas.
Comedian Jimmy Dore, onboard, posted that the pilot announced the maneuver and a collision avoidance alert had triggered it. Other passengers confirmed loud panic and collective reactions.
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🛩️ Pilot Response & FAA Investigation
Southwest Airlines confirmed its crew responded to two traffic alerts, first climbing then descending to comply with system warnings.
The airline affirmed the flight landed safely in Las Vegas and expressed confidence in its crew professionalism.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation. Burbank Airport officials noted no radar record of the incident in their airspace, raising questions about ATC coordination.
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⚙️ Technical Data & Timeline
Phase Time Altitude Change
Takeoff ~11:57 a.m. PDT Climbing through 14,100 ft
Alert Received ~6 min after departure Hawker Hunter at ~14,653 ft
Emergency Descent ~30–36 sec duration Dropped ~475 ft
Distance at Closest ~6 min into flight ~4.86 miles laterally, ~350 ft vertically
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🌐 Broader Safety Implications
This incident occurred less than a week after another near-collision involving a Delta/SkyWest flight and a military bomber over North Dakota, highlighting **rising concerns over air traffic control precision and military-civil operations.**
It raises urgent questions about:
ATC coordination gaps in busy military-adjacent airspaces
Collision avoidance systems reliability and pilot trust
Protocols during cross-traffic operations in dense flight corridors
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✅ Summary & Expert Insight
Despite terror onboard, the pilots’ rapid, correct response prevented a catastrophe. The FAA’s ongoing investigation will be crucial to determine:
Why Burbank ATC lacks record
Whether the traffic alert systems functioned optimally
Improvements for future coordination between civilian and private/military flights
As airspace volume increases, aviation safety experts warn that such close calls may become more frequent unless systemic changes are made immediately
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