South
Terrified passengers ‘flew out of their seats’ during dramatic Southwest nosedive to avoid mid-air crash
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Passengers aboard Southwest flight 1496 from Burbank, California to Las Vegas, Nevada experienced a frightening few seconds when the aircraft took a sudden nosedive to avoid a midair collision shortly after takeoff.
The dramatic maneuver caused passengers to fly up out of their seats and into the ceiling as children and adults screamed, fearing the worst.
Two flight attendants are being treated for injuries, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The Southwest Airlines flight reportedly had to perform a nose dive to avoid an incoming plane. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AFTER ENGINE STARTS SMOKING
Caitlin Burdi, who was on flight 1496, told Fox News Digital she had been on the same flight path before, so she knew the extreme turbulence was abnormal.
“About 10 minutes into the flight, we plummeted pretty far, and I looked around, and everyone was like, ‘OK, that’s normal’,” Burdi said. “Then, within two seconds, it felt like the ride Tower of Terror, where we fell 20 to 30 feet in the air. The screaming, it was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash.”
Southwest confirmed the crew responded to two onboard traffic alerts after takeoff, at about 11 a.m. local time, “requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts.”
At least one flight attendant was injured in the incident, passengers said. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE HIT WITH ‘UNEXPECTED TURBULENCE,’ 5 HOSPITALIZED
The airline said the flight continued to Las Vegas, where it landed “uneventfully,” according to a statement.
“Southwest is engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to further understand the circumstances,” Southwest wrote. “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.”
The FAA noted “another aircraft was in the vicinity while in Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center airspace.”
Passengers took to social media to share their harrowing stories of the flight. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
SMALL PLANE HIT POWER LINES BEFORE DEADLY SAN DIEGO CRASH, NTSB CONFIRMS
One flight attendant was dazed after hitting her head, passengers said. Another flight attendant announced he was quitting.
Following the dramatic drop, the pilot came on the intercom and said the plane almost collided with another plane, and they had lost air traffic control signal.
“It was absolutely terrifying,” Burdi said. “I just remember him saying, ‘What just happened was we almost collided with another plane, and I had to make the emergency attempt to go under because we lost service with the air traffic controller.’”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Other passengers on the fearful flight took to social media to share their experience.
“Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention,” stand-up comedian Jimmy Dore wrote in an X post. “Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us. Wow.”
The FAA said it is investigating.
ENGLAND, Ark. (KATV) — A slice of Arkansas blues history got its moment in the spotlight today in England, Arkansas, as community members gathered to honor a musician many say never got the recognition he deserved.
People met at William F. Bill Foster Memorial Park for a dedication ceremony where the Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail unveiled a historic marker for blues legend, songwriter and recording artist Larry “Totsie” Davis. The marker recognizes Davis’ lasting impact on Arkansas’ blues heritage and his contributions to American music.
The ceremony also served as a tribute to “kind of forgotten blues players of Arkansas or the blues players in Arkansas that never really got their due that they should have.”
Billy Jeter, Founder of the Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail, urged people to revisit Davis’ work, saying, “If you listen to the music today of Larry ‘Totsie’ Davis. I implore you to find somebody better than him. It’s just it’s unbelievable music.”
Storms hit Saturday shortly before 3 p.m. in Delaware County with limbs down on lines, wires down, plus lightning strikes, and quickly nearly 8,000 PECO customers were without power.
There was an accompanying deluge as well in parts of the county, with many low-lying areas flooding. The power outage number continued rising to 10,365 by 3:10 p.m., and to over 13,000 by 3:30. By 4 p.m. that number began to decline.
The first lightning strike dispatch was to a house in the 100 block of Edgewood Avenue in Haverford Township, and crews were dispatched minutes later to the Five Guys on Town Centre Drive in Concord Township.
Crews arriving on both scenes reported nothing was evident, but they would investigate further, according to radio traffic.
Fire stations were also sent to a water rescue in the 2800 block of East County Line Road in Haverford. Police arrived first and reported that half the vehicle was underwater. The officer soon located the driver, who had gotten out and made it to safety, according to radio traffic.
Police, fire and ambulance dispatches continued rapid fire at 3:30 p.m. PECO was asked to respond to numerous locations. Numerous alarm calls were also received at the county communications center.
A National Weather Service-issued severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for eastern Delaware County until 3:30 p.m. There was also a flash flood warning for the same area until 6:45 p.m.
One rainfall measurement was available at 3 p.m. That was St. Davids, where 0.71 inch of rain was recorded in less than 45 minutes, eventual reaching eight-tenths of an inch.
The Philadelphia International Airport recorded 0.32 inch of rain.
Sunny skies were expected to dominate the weather for the workweek, with high temperatures rising into the 90s on Wednesday and likely to stay there at least through Friday.
The Baltimore Orioles selected Florida signee Kevin Roberts Jr. with the 110th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 MLB draft.
Roberts, UF’s top-ranked signee, is expected to forgo his college career and is the only member of Florida’s signing class to not enroll for the summer. A slot value of $711,800 is a bit low for a highly touted high school recruit, but it would be a big whiff by the Orioles if they don’t get him signed.
Perfect Game ranks Roberts No. 19 overall and No. 8 among shortstops nationally. Most of that is because he is incredibly projectable at 6-foot-5-inch and 220 pounds with good speed. There’s good bat speed and solid pop in his bat, showing exit velocities in the mid-90s as a 16-year-old. Roberts is also very young. He won’t turn 18 for another two weeks, giving pro teams extra time to develop him.
The power is there, but he’ll need to refine the contact tool a bit. Still, with plus speed and a strong arm — he clocked fastballs at 94 mph when pitching — Roberts figures to make an easy transition to center field.
Of course, it would have been nice for Florida to get Roberts on campus, but Florida has plenty of options in the outfield, and Brendan Lawson is returning at shortstop next season. If this is the only loss from Florida’s 2026 signing class, it’s a big win for Kevin O’Sullivan and the Gators.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
-
Arkansas6 minutes agoArkansas tips its hat to blues pioneer Larry “Totsie” Davis in England dedication
-
California9 minutes ago‘Explosive diarrhea’ parasite surfaces in California as health officials fear statewide surge
-
Colorado14 minutes agoThis Quiet Colorado Town Is An Underrated Gem For Nature Lovers
-
Connecticut21 minutes agoCar catches fire in Trumbull
-
Delaware24 minutes agoPower outage number tops 13,000 in Delaware County as storm hits
-
Florida29 minutes agoFlorida top-ranked signee selected in Round 4 of MLB draft
-
Georgia36 minutes ago3 Georgia baseball players taken in MLB Draft opening day
-
Hawaii39 minutes agoHiker airlifted from Diamond Head Crater Trail
