Allegiant flight attendant injured when ‘evasive action’ was taken to avoid collision in the air

By Mohamed Attia

An Allegiant Air flight attendant was injured on Sunday when the plane’s pilot “took evasive action” to avoid an in-air collision over South Florida, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

After the Kentucky-bound Flight 485 had taken off from Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the pilot “received an automated alert about another aircraft at the same altitude,” the FAA said.

An air traffic controller in the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Centre had instructed the plane “to turn eastbound at an altitude of 23,000 feet when it crossed in front of a northbound Gulfstream business jet,” the FAA said.

The pilot of the Gulfstream jet also took evasive action after receiving a similar alert, the FAA said.

The Allegiant plane returned to the Fort Lauderdale airport, where the injured flight attendant was treated for injuries, said the FAA, which added it is investigating the incident  .Allegiant declined to comment on the incident.