Air traffic control blamed for near-collision between B-52 bomber and passenger plane
Recently, a pilot performed a series of last-second maneuvers to avoid hitting a B-52 bomber. The terrifying moment was captured on video by Josh Kadrmas from the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. Kadrmas told NBC News he was in the crowd for opening day of the fair, waiting for the scheduled B-52 flyover, when he pointed his phone toward the sky.
'We could see the exhaust from the B-52 far to the east, so I started recording as it was announced to the crowd the B-52 was going to fly over the grandstand."
By chance, Kadrmas filmed Delta Flight 3788, operated by SkyWest, as it shared airspace with the military aircraft.
'I didn't think this would be a disaster at the time as the smaller plane was difficult to see from the stands," he explained to NBC.
A passenger filmed the aftermath
Passenger, Monica Green (@monicagreenofficial) captured the aftermath on the SkyWest flight in a video uploaded to TikTok.
In the video, the pilot is heard apologizing to passengers, saying:
"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. 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 Air Force blamed air traffic control
At the time, there was no information available regarding how such a dangerous situation had occurred. The Air Force has since placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of air traffic controllers.
A statement released by Minot Air Force Base says:
'The flyover was planned in advance and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. This included the FAA's local Flight Standards District Office, Minot International Airport air traffic control personnel, and Minot Approach Control (RAPCON).
The following paragraph expands to say that the B-52 crew communicated the flyover plan to RAPCON and Minot International Airport's air traffic control tower before departure.
The statement says the Minot Approach directed the B-52 crew at 7:43 p.m. to contact Minot International Airport's air traffic control. When they did so, the tower instructed the aircraft to continue 2 miles westbound after the flyover. The tower did not inform the B-52 pilots that there was an inbound commercial plane in the vicinity.
The FAA is investigating
The statement concludes by saying:
'The B-52 crossed the fairgrounds show center at 7:50 p.m. and proceeded west as directed to clear Minot International Tower's airspace before returning to Minot AFB.'
According to the statement, the FAA is investigating the incident.
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