A US passenger plane made a dramatic plunge just minutes after take-off in a bid to avoid another aircraft, leaving passengers panicked and two cabin crew injured.
The Southwest Airlines flight had just departed from Burbank, California, when the pilot received an alert about a nearby aircraft in its path.
According to data from FlightAware, the plane dropped 91 metres (300 feet) in just 36 seconds. The sudden descent caused passengers to shoot out of their seats, with many fearing the aircraft was about to crash.
Comedian Jimmy Dore, who was on board, posted on X: "Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid mid-air collision… myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention."
Passenger Stef Zambrano recalled seeing a woman who wasn’t wearing her seatbelt thrown from her seat. "I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground," the woman reportedly said after the incident.
Another traveller, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles that the moment felt like "freefall" for about 10 seconds."People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down," he said.
Despite the terrifying moment, the aircraft continued to its destination in Las Vegas and landed safely without further incident.
It is believed the Boeing 737 had come into close proximity with a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British-built fighter jet.
Southwest Airlines said it is cooperating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) "to further understand the circumstances" surrounding the incident.
This is the second incident in a week involving a passenger plane taking sudden evasive action to avoid a potential mid-air collision. Concerns are growing over aviation safety in the United States following a series of recent scares.
In January, a mid-air collision over Washington DC tragically claimed the lives of 67 people.
