Southwest Flight Forced Into Extreme Maneuver to Avoid Mid-Air Collision

A Southwest Airlines flight resorted to a sudden drop to avoid a mid-air traffic collision while departing from Burbank, Calif.

The plane abruptly descended 475 feet to avoid a collision with a Hawker Hunter aircraft, ABC News reported. About six minutes after Southwest flight 1496 took off from Hollywood Burbank Airport, it abruptly descended from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet. The flight was bound for Las Vegas.

Steve Ulasewicz, a passenger on the flight, said he experienced a “significant drop,” and told ABC News the pilot announced that they had performed the maneuver to “avoid a midair collision.”

“Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 responded to an onboard alert that another aircraft was in the vicinity while in Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center airspace,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement obtained by NBCLA. “The FAA is investigating the event that occurred around 11 a.m. local time on Friday, July 25.”

A spokesperson for Hollywood Burbank Airport told NBCLA authorities are “looking into the incident, however, there is currently no evidence that it occurred within the airspace above our airport.”

Southwest Airlines confirmed crew responded to onboard air traffic alerts after departing from Burbank. Two flight attendants were treated for injuries, but no one else was harmed.

“The crew of Southwest 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,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement obtained by NBCLA. “The flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully.

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“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.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the FAA and Southwest Airlines for comment.