'Passengers ejected from their seats': US airliner dives to avoid collision

Comedian Jimmy Dore, who was on the flight from Burbank to Las Vegas, told X: "I and a lot of people were thrown out of their seats and hit the ceiling with their heads."

"The pilot stated that his collision warning system had activated and he had to avoid an aircraft coming straight at us," he added. The US aviation regulator (FAA) said on X that it is "investigating the event." The FAA confirmed that Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 "responded to an onboard alert indicating that another aircraft was in the vicinity."

The airline explained that the plane "responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon during the initial climb from Burbank, California, requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts." Southwest added that "the flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed without incident." Two crew members required treatment for injuries. The company said all passengers were unharmed.

According to flight tracking website FlightAware, the airliner was in the same airspace near Burbank as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58 fighter jet.

This incident heightens concerns about aviation safety in the United States, following a series of accidents in recent months. In January, a mid-air collision between a passenger plane on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, near downtown Washington, and a military helicopter killed 67 people.