2 Injured When Southwest Plane Dives To Avoid Collision Over LA County

BURBANK, CA — A Southwest Airlines flight that departed Hollywood Burbank Airport Friday was forced to perform a pair of collision-avoidance maneuvers after the pilot received two "traffic alerts," and two flight attendants were injured.

Citing online flight tracking, ABC 7 reported that the plane quickly descended 475 feet in response to the collision-avoidance alert. The plane eventually continued to its destination in Las Vegas without incident.

One passenger wrote on social media that the "pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport." He said he and some other passengers "flew out of their seats and bumped heads on the ceiling."

Southwest issued a statement saying the crew of Flight 1496 "responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon while climbing out of Burbank ... 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."

No details were provided about the extent of the flight attendants' injuries.

City News Service