Delta flight narrowly avoids mid-air crash with B-52 bomber
A SkyWest flight, acting as a Delta connection between Minneapolis to Minot, North Dakota, was cleared for landing on Friday when the pilot 'performed a go-around' to avoid colliding with a B-52 bomber, the airline said.
In a video recording captured by a passenger in the airliner, the pilot can be heard apologising to passengers on board, saying they probably saw the aeroplane 'coming at us' and that 'nobody told us about it'.
Flight tracking data reviewed by The Washington Post shows SkyWest Flight 3788 make a sharp right turn as it approaches Minot airport, then climb in altitude as it circled to land. Around the same time, a B-52 performed a circular manoeuvre in the same area.
The pilot told passengers the airport's control tower does 'everything visually' because it does not have radar and had instructed him to turn right, where he saw the military plane hovering into view.
At first, the pilot said he mistook the plane for a small aircraft before realising it was a military plane on a 'convergence course' with the jet.
'It caught me by surprise'
Given the speed the bomber was travelling, the pilot said he felt it was the 'safest thing to turn behind it' and perform a go-around, aborting an initial landing before approaching for a second time once the skies were clear.
'Sorry about the aggressive manoeuvre, it caught me by surprise,' the pilot said. 'This is not normal at all. I don't know why they didn't give us a heads-up.
'The air force base does have radar, and nobody said: 'Hey, there's a B-52 in the pattern.''
Passengers applauded the pilot for his quick-thinking as he signed off by saying: 'It was not a fun day at work. Have a nice evening, and I'm glad you are safe.'
US air force officials did not provide details of the incident, but said they are looking into the matter after a B-52 bomber performed a flyover at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot, which is home to an air force base.
'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 service said in a statement.
'I remember the plane going sideways'
Monica Green, the passenger who recorded the video of the pilot's apology, said the incident left her feeling 'sick to my stomach'.
'I just remember the plane going, like, sideways... and just looking straight out the window and just seeing grass, like you weren't seeing the skyline anymore,' she told NBC News.
She added that she was nervous about returning to the airport for her homeward flight.
The long-range B-52 bomber is 159ft long with a 185ft wingspan and is capable of carrying nuclear and precision guided weapons at an altitude of up to 50,000ft.
The aircraft has been the backbone of the air force's strategic bomber force for 60 years and played a key role in the Gulf War and Nato's bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.
The close encounter comes after an army black hawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet near Reagan National Airport in Washington DC in January, killing 67 people.
The crash prompted lawmakers to review coordination between military and civilian aircraft.
The FAA has said it is investigating the incident.
A SkyWest spokesman said: 'SkyWest flight 3788, operating as Delta connection from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Minot, North Dakota on July 18, 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.'
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