Key points
- A Delta-operated SkyWest plane took emergency action to avoid a B-52 bomber near Minot, ND
- The FAA and SkyWest are investigating
- The Air Force said the tower failed to warn about the commercial flight during a scheduled B-52 flyover
- Minot’s radar-less tower gave conflicting instructions to the pilot
ISLAMABAD: United States (US) aviation regulators said Monday they are investigating a recent close call in which a passenger plane took emergency action to avoid a mid-air collision with a US military bomber.
A Delta flight operated by SkyWest took off Friday from Minneapolis and was approaching the city of Minot, North Dakota when the pilot rapidly rerouted after seeing another aircraft nearing from the right, according to AFP.
“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 told passengers, according to recorded audio of the commercial pilot.
“Aggressive maneuver”
“Sorry about the aggressive maneuver,” he said. “This is not normal at all.”
Citing a video recorded by passenger Monica Green, CBS News reported that, the pilot is heard calmly announcing to passengers: “For those of you on the right-hand side, you probably saw the airplane kinda sorta coming at us. Nobody told us about it and so we continued.”
The pilot explained that the tower at the Minot airport doesn’t have radar, so air traffic controllers do everything visually.
READ ALSO: Deadliest US Plane Crashes in History
The pilot said he “saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us.”
“Not a fun day at work today”
“Given his speed,” the pilot continued, “it was a military (aircraft). I don’t know how fast they were going but they were a lot faster than us. I thought the safest thing to do was to turn behind it. 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 (nearby) Air Force base does have radar and nobody said, ‘Hey, there’s also a B-52 in the pattern.'”
“Long story short, it was not fun but I do apologize for it and I thank you for everything. It was not a fun day at work today,” the pilot added, at which point the passengers started applauding.
Investigations underway
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that US officials are “investigating the event involving SkyWest Airlines Flight 3788 at Minot International Airport on Friday, July 18, AFP reported.
SkyWest said it has also begun a probe. The flight was cleared for approach by the tower “but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path,” the carrier said in a statement reported by US media.
The US Air Force base near Minot confirmed in a statement that a B-52 bomber performed an approved flyover Friday night at the North Dakota State Fair, and said the crew was communicating with air traffic controllers at Minot’s commercial airport.
READ ALSO: Private Airplane “Reportedly” Carrying Six People Crashes in Philadelphia
“The B-52 crew contacted Minot International Airport tower and the tower provided instructions to continue two miles westbound after the flyover. The tower did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft,” it said.
It provided no further details about the near miss.
The northern city, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Canada border, is home to a commercial airport and a US Air Force base.
Deadly collision
The incident comes less than six months after a US Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet approaching Washington’s Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.
READ ALSO: Plane Collides with Helicopter Near Washington Airport
The disaster prompted federal authorities and Congress to review coordination between military and civilian aircraft flying in the same airspace.
