Allegiant Flight and Jet Near Fort Lauderdale Airport Avoid Collision with ‘Evasive Action’, FAA Confirms

Allegiant Air Flight Attendant Injured in Mid-Air Collision Scare

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In a harrowing incident on Sunday, an Allegiant Air flight attendant sustained injuries when the plane’s pilot took evasive action to avoid a potential in-air collision over South Florida, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Shortly after departing from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Flight 485 en route to Kentucky received an automated alert from the pilot about another aircraft sharing the same altitude, the FAA reported. As instructed by the air traffic controller in the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center, the pilot maneuvered the plane to turn eastbound at an altitude of 23,000 feet as a precautionary measure while crossing the path of a northbound Gulfstream business jet.

Remarkably, the pilot of the Gulfstream jet also had to employ evasive techniques upon receiving a similar warning from the automated system, the FAA stated.

In light of the incident, the Allegiant plane swiftly returned to its origin point at Fort Lauderdale airport to tend to the injured flight attendant. The FAA confirmed that an ongoing investigation is currently underway to assess the circumstances surrounding the close-call encounter.

Despite requests for information, Allegiant declined to provide any comments on the incident at this time.

A passenger aboard the ill-fated Allegiant flight, Jerrica Thacker, aged 21, shared her terrifying experience with CNN, revealing that the plane abruptly ascended, offering the sensation akin to that of a roller coaster ride. Thacker, who was traveling with her family towards Kentucky, recounted the nerve-wracking encounter: “We went up and down and then leveled out. It felt like we were nose-diving, but we later found out that we went straight up. … I was terrified.”

As a consequence of the sudden ascent, two flight attendants were thrown backward, with one remaining on the ground for approximately five minutes before receiving assistance and being escorted to the rear of the plane, Thacker divulged. She further added that the flight crew urgently requested any medically trained individuals among the passengers to come forward.

Around 20 minutes following the drastic maneuver, the pilot addressed the passengers via the intercom, stating that the aircraft was heading back to Fort Lauderdale and that the sudden evasive action had been taken to avert an imminent collision, Thacker recounted. Subsequently, Thacker observed fellow passengers engaging in prayer and tearful displays of emotion.

Struggling to manage her anxiety, Thacker expressed the difficulty she faced in keeping calm: “I was looking forward and trying my best to breathe to avoid a panic attack.” Consequently, Thacker and her family opted to rent a vehicle and embark on a 15-hour drive to Kentucky rather than endure another flight. Understandably, the traumatic incident had rendered them too shaken to board another plane, Thacker confided.

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