On Friday evening, July 18, a SkyWest Airlines plane in the United States had a thrilling moment in the sky over Minot, North Dakota. The pilot of flight 3788, operating under the Delta Connection brand, was forced to perform an emergency maneuver to avoid a potential collision with a suspected US military B-52 strategic bomber while preparing to land. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Air Force are currently investigating this “close-call” incident.
The aircraft involved was an Embraer ERJ-175 jet, carrying passengers from Minneapolis to Minot. Despite receiving clearance from the control tower for landing, the plane encountered airspace conflicts just before touchdown and had to climb back up for safety reasons.
Passenger Monica Green captured the moment when the captain calmly addressed the passengers after the incident: “Those of you sitting on the right side should have seen another aircraft seemingly headed towards us. However, since there was no prior notification, we had to continue flying.” He further explained that due to the lack of radar at Minot Airport’s control tower, air traffic control heavily relies on visual coordination.
“The military aircraft was flying at a much higher speed than us. I believed the safest option was to maneuver behind it, which led to the drastic action we took. I apologize; this was truly unexpected,” the captain explained. “This is definitely not a normal situation. I am puzzled as to why no one alerted us about the B-52 in the vicinity.”
The Air Force later confirmed that a B-52 aircraft from the Minot Air Force Base was participating in an air show for the North Dakota State Fair at the time. The FAA stated that the Minot tower, operated by a private company, was responsible for air traffic control, not federal aviation personnel.
Fortunately, there were no injuries in the incident, with a total of 76 passengers and 4 crew members on board flight 3788. The captain concluded his announcement by saying, “This was not a pleasant workday, but thank you for your understanding and cooperation,” followed by applause from the passengers.
The FAA has launched an investigation into the incident, raising concerns about the safety of shared airspace between the military and civilian aviation sectors once again. In March of this year, a Delta A319 plane narrowly avoided a collision with an Air Force T-38 jet near Washington Reagan Airport, an incident still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In January, a US Army helicopter collided with a Delta regional jet, resulting in 67 fatalities. Subsequently, the FAA has imposed restrictions on Army helicopter flights around the Pentagon.
These incidents underscore the importance of ensuring the safety and coordination of flights within shared airspace to prevent similar close calls in the future.