by A passenger jet landing in North Dakota performed a “go-around” to avoid colliding with an Air Force B-52, according to the commercial pilot’s comments posted to social media and the airline involved in the incident.
SkyWest Flight 3788, acting as a Delta connection between Minneapolis to Minot, North Dakota, was cleared by the tower for landing on Friday, the airline said in a statement. But the pilot “performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path,” said SkyWest, which is investigating the incident.
Air Force officials did not provide details of the incident, but they did say that a hulking B-52 bomber was performing a flyover at the North Dakota State Fair, which took place in Minot, home to a commercial airport and an Air Force base.
The commercial pilot explained to his passengers that the B-52 appeared to be on a converging course, according to a video posted to Instagram and verified by Storyful. He apologized for making an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a midair collision, adding that “nobody told us” about the other aircraft.
Flight tracking data reviewed by The Washington Post
showed
the flight on descent make a sharp right turn near the airport, then climb in altitude as it circled around to land. Flight tracking data
showed
the B-52 performing ellipses in the area around the same time.
“This is not normal at all,” the pilot said. “Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it.” The passengers applauded once his announcement finished.
The Air Force did not immediately respond to questions about the location and altitude of the B-52 during the incident and whether the base had coordinated its flyover with the airport.
“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.
Monica Green, the passenger who recorded the pilot speaking, told NBC News that the incident left her shaken.
“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 said.
An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet in January near Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. That disaster prompted lawmakers and federal agencies to review coordination between military and civilian aircraft operating in the same airspace.
