Tragedy was averted when a Delta pilot made an “aggressive maneuver” in order to avoid a collision with B-52 bomber.
ABC News reported on the incident that occurred July 18 when a jet was on approach to Minot, North Dakota.
The pilot, who was not named, explained to passengers what happened and apologized the them.
“Given his speed … I don’t know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us, I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it,” the pilot said. “So sorry about the aggressive maneuver, it caught me by surprise, this is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up, because the Air Force base does have radar … long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it and thank you for understanding. Not a not a fun day at work.”
The pilot’s apology was recorded.
As the investigation got underway, it was still not clear how close the two planes were to colliding.
An Air Force base that houses B-52 bombers is located in Minot.
An Air Force spokesperson spoke with ABC News Sunday evening.
“We are aware of the recent reporting regarding commercial and Air Force aircraft operating in airspace around Minot International Airport. We are currently looking into the matter,” the spokesperson said. “We can confirm that a B-52 aircraft assigned to Minot AFB conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair Friday evening.”
SkyWest is investigating the incident.
“SkyWest flight 3788, operating as Delta Connection from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Minot, North Dakota, landed safely in Minot after being cleared for approach by the tower but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path. We are investigating the incident,” a spokesperson said.
