FAA investigating after Delta plane from Minneapolis narrowly avoids collision with B-52 bomber

The pilot of a Delta Air Lines flight attempting to land at the airport in Minot, N.D., on Friday was forced to make an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid colliding with a B-52 bomber.

Delta Connection Flight 3788, departing from Minneapolis and operated by SkyWest Airlines, was on approach when the near miss happened, according to a statement from SkyWest.

The pilot “performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path. We are investigating the incident,” a SkyWest statement said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also said it was investigating the incident.

Passenger Monica Green was on board the flight, which had taken off from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport about 6:20 p.m. and was getting ready to land in Minot just after 8 p.m. The jet made an abrupt turn a few miles from the Minot airport, according to the flight tracking website flightaware.com.

“I was landing in Minot, North Dakota today and our plane nearly missed another plane,” Green wrote on Facebook. “Absolutely terrifying to think about.”

Green also posted a video that recorded a message the pilot made to passengers after landing safely. The video was subsequently shared on TikTok, where it has gone viral.

The pilot said he originally thought the other aircraft might have been a small plane. The air traffic control tower had told the pilot to turn right and then turn left. By then, the pilot realized the other aircraft was a military B-52 bomber “on a converging course with us.”

At that point, the pilot decided the safest thing to do was to turn behind it.

“Sorry about the aggressive maneuver,” the pilot told passengers. “It is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t tell us about it. It was not fun. I do apologize for it. Thank you for understanding. Not a fun day at work.”

The video ends with passengers applauding.

The pilot said the tower in Minot does not have radar and controllers rely on visuals to direct aircraft.

A nearby Air Force base does have radar, which prompted the pilot to ask why nobody said, “Hey, there’s also a B-52 in the pattern.”

The Air Force confirmed a B-52 aircraft assigned to the Minot Air Force base conducted a flyover at the North Dakota State Fair on Friday night.

“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,” an Air Force spokesman said.

There were 76 passengers and four crew members onboard, SkyWest said.

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum said the aviation incident “raises serious questions about passenger safety" and that she welcomes the FAA’s investigation.