MINOT, N.D (KMOT/Gray News) – A commercial pilot made an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber.
According to AviationA2Z, the close call happened aboard a SkyWest flight 3788, operating as a Delta Connection, to Minot International Airport (MOT).
The flight came dangerously close to a B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base during the flight.
The pilot’s quick action prevented a possible collision, and passengers later thanked him for explaining what happened once the plane landed safely.
Monica Green, who was seated in the front of the plane, described the atmosphere on board as “weirdly calm,” even as the jet made sharp, unexpected turns.
“Honestly, everyone was weirdly calm. I felt like I was gaslighting myself, like maybe I was being crazy, because no one else was reacting,” Green said. “We took a really hard turn, and that’s when the pilot got on the intercom and said, ‘Sorry everybody, I’ll explain everything when we land safely.’ The way he said it, it almost sounded like he was insinuating that landing safely might not be an option for a moment. We all just kind of looked at each other and stayed quiet.”
The flight circled the Minot airport several times before landing. Green, who flies frequently for work, said she tracked the unusual flight pattern on an app while texting her husband.
“I texted my husband saying, ‘This is weird, we keep circling the airport, but we’re not landing.’ I was a little anxious, and when he said, ‘No, this is serious,’ I started to panic internally,” Green said.
Despite the tension, she praised the Delta pilot for being transparent.
“He was very casual, if you can be casual about something like that, but you could tell he was stressed. He was almost shaking, trying to find the right words, but he was nice and detailed. It felt good that they weren’t just going to brush it off,” Green said.
Once on the ground, the pilot apologized to passengers.
“So sorry about the aggressive maneuver, it caught me by surprise, this is not normal at all,” the pilot said, according to ABC News.
SkyWest said it’s 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,” according to a spokesperson.
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