2 Passengers Injured After United Airlines Flight Abruptly Slowed Its Descent to Avoid Possible Mid-Air Collision

United confirmed that the plane had to suddenly slow its descent to San Francisco International Airport “to account for another aircraft at a lower altitude”

• United Airlines Flight 2428 had to slow its descent to San Francisco International Airport to avoid a possible mid-air collision on Thursday, Sept. 19

• Two passengers were injured and transported to the hospital as a result of the sudden movement

• The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation of the incident

Two passengers were injured after a United flight had to suddenly slow its descent to San Francisco International Airport to avoid a potential collision with another aircraft in the vicinity.

The airline confirmed to PEOPLE that the incident aboard United Flight 2428 occurred on Thursday, Sept. 19. The aircraft, traveling from Newark, N.J., had initiated its descent and had the seatbelt sign on when it made the abrupt movement “to account for another aircraft at a lower altitude,” the airline says.

“Two customers, including one who was out of their seat at the time, reported possible injuries and were transported to a hospital,” a spokesperson for United said in a statement. “We’re grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of our employees and customers.”

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it is investigating the incident.

“United Airlines Flight 2428 responded to an onboard alert which occurred around 12:45 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 19 in Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center Airspace that another aircraft was in the vicinity. The United flight landed safely at San Francisco International Airport,” the FAA said in a preliminary statement shared with PEOPLE. “There was no loss of safe separation.”

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While the National Transportation Safety Board not yet opened an investigation, they confirmed they are also gathering information on the event.

United Flight 2428 responded to an alert called a traffic collision avoidance system resolution advisory, which is a serious warning for pilots, CNN reports. As a result of the incident, one of the passengers was seriously injured, while the other sustained minor injuries, according to the outlet.

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Earlier in September, a collision between two Endeavor Air and Delta planes occurred at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. However, the incident did not cause any known injuries to crew members or passengers, Delta confirmed at the time.

The Sept. 10 incident resulted in the tail of the much smaller Endeavor plane being nearly sliced from the body of the plane. The DeltaA350, the largest plane in Delta's fleet, suffered damage to its wing as well.

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