Sonali Tiwary
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 performed an emergency descent maneuver on Friday, July 25, 2025 to avoid a potential mid-air collision with a privately-owned Hawker Hunter fighter jet, leaving two flight attendants injured but preventing what could have been a catastrophic incident in the congested Los Angeles airspace.
Flight 1496, bound for Las Vegas from Hollywood Burbank Airport, descended approximately 475 feet about six minutes after takeoff when the aircraft’s Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) issued a Resolution Advisory—a critical automatic warning requiring immediate pilot action.
“The crew of Southwest Flight 1496 responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts,” Southwest Airlines stated in an official statement. “We are engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances.”
According to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24, the Southwest jet dropped from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet in a rapid descent. The privately-owned Hawker Hunter fighter jet was approximately 4.86 miles away laterally at their closest point, according to tracking data.
The abrupt maneuver caused two flight attendants to sustain head injuries requiring medical treatment upon landing in Las Vegas. No passenger injuries were reported, though several passengers described a frightening experience.
Similar Posts
“About eight to ten seconds into the drop, it felt like we were in free fall,” passenger Steve Ulasewicz told NBC LA. “People were screaming. It was pandemonium.”
Comedian Jimmy Dore, who was on the flight, posted on social media: “Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us.”
According to FAA records, the other aircraft involved was a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter plane owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd, a British defense contracting company. The vintage jet was flying from El Paso, Texas, to Ventura County Airport in Oxnard, California, operating under 14 CFR Part 91 regulations.
TCAS technology, mandated for all U.S. commercial carriers with more than 30 seats since 1993, functions as aviation’s critical last line of defense. The system first issues a Traffic Advisory (TA) alerting pilots to nearby aircraft, followed by a Resolution Advisory (RA) with specific vertical maneuvering instructions if collision risk increases.
The FAA has confirmed it is investigating the incident, which occurred in Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center airspace. The agency’s investigation will analyze cockpit voice recordings, flight data, and air traffic control communications to determine whether proper separation protocols were maintained throughout the flight.
For passengers, the incident serves as a reminder of FAA safety guidance to keep seatbelts fastened during all phases of flight. According to a 2019 FAA study, over 90% of injuries during turbulence were to unbuckled passengers.
Southwest confirmed Flight 1496 continued to Las Vegas, “where it landed uneventfully.” Both flight attendants received medical attention for their injuries.
The incident comes amid ongoing discussions about FAA staffing levels at busy air traffic control facilities nationwide. This near-miss follows other notable aviation incidents globally that have focused attention on flight safety systems.
Industry experts point to the 2001 Überlingen mid-air collision as a watershed moment that accelerated TCAS implementation requirements worldwide, demonstrating how safety systems continue to evolve in response to serious incidents.
