Two Southwest Crew Injured as Jet Dives to Avoid Mid-Air Crash

 

Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank, California, were injured after the plane made a sharp descent to avoid a possible mid-air collision with another aircraft. The Boeing 737 was climbing after takeoff on its way to Las Vegas when pilots received traffic alerts in the cockpit. In response, they made a sudden maneuver, including a descent of nearly 500 feet, to avoid the other aircraft, which was later identified as a British-built Hawker Hunter fighter jet. According to flight tracking data, the Southwest flight and the fighter jet came within about 4.86 miles laterally and only 350 feet vertically a dangerously close range in aviation terms. The plane landed safely in Las Vegas, but some passengers reported panic on board. One passenger described the experience as "terrifying" and said the pilot later confirmed they had narrowly avoided a collision. Southwest Airlines said that two flight attendants were treated for injuries but did not elaborate on their condition. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident. The U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense have not yet responded to questions about why the military jet was in the area. This marks the second serious incident in a week where a U.S. commercial jet had to take evasive action due to nearby military aircraft. It has raised fresh concerns about the safety of shared airspace between civilian and military flights.

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The Southwest incident is part of a growing number of alarming close calls between commercial aircraft and military jets. Just one week earlier, a SkyWest Airlines flight operating as a Delta Connection from Minneapolis to Minot, North Dakota, had to take evasive action during landing to avoid a possible collision with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber. That bomber had just completed a ceremonial flyover for the North Dakota State Fair. According to the Air Force, the B-52 was in contact with local air traffic control during the flyover. However, the Minot control tower, which is operated by a private company and not the FAA, allegedly did not alert the bomber about the incoming commercial jet. The FAA is now investigating the near-miss involving SkyWest Flight 3788. Another recent incident occurred in March near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when a Delta Airbus A319 came close to a group of four Air Force T-38 Talon jets. Those jets were heading to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover. Investigators from both the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are reviewing what went wrong. These events follow a fatal crash on January 29, when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet near Reagan National, killing 67 people. In response, the FAA took the unusual step of barring Army helicopter flights near the Pentagon in early May after another near-miss. The increasing frequency of these incidents has led to growing concern among aviation experts and lawmakers. They are calling for better coordination between military and civilian air traffic operations to avoid further tragedies or disasters. With more flyovers and air shows expected this summer, scrutiny on airspace safety continues to intensify.