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U.S. aviation regulators are investigating a recent close call where a SkyWest Airlines passenger plane had to take emergency action to avoid a mid-air collision with a U.S. military bomber.
The incident occurred on Friday as Delta Flight 3788, operated by SkyWest, was approaching Minot International Airport in North Dakota after departing from Minneapolis.
The pilot of the commercial flight reported seeing another aircraft rapidly approaching from the right and immediately rerouted to avoid it.
In recorded audio, the pilot apologised to passengers for the “aggressive manoeuvre,” explaining, “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. This is not normal at all.”
Investigation Underway
Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and SkyWest have launched probes into the event. SkyWest confirmed that their flight was cleared for approach by the tower but performed a “go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path.”
The U.S. Air Force confirmed that a B-52 bomber was performing a flyover at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot at the time of the near miss. Minot is home to both a commercial airport and a U.S. Air Force base.
Pilot’s Account and Passenger Experience
According to a passenger’s video posted on Instagram, the SkyWest pilot told passengers that “nobody told us” about the military plane.
He also indicated that the Minot tower, which lacks radar (a common situation at smaller, remote airfields), gave guidance that could have endangered the passenger jet.
“He said, ‘Turn right.’ I said there’s an aeroplane over there. And he says, ‘Turn left,'” the pilot explained.
Passenger Monica Green, who recorded the video, described feeling “sick to my stomach” after the near miss. She recounted the jet making a hard turn, with the plane going “sideways” and seeing “just grass” outside the window.
This incident follows a fatal collision less than six months ago, where a U.S. Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet near Washington’s Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard. That disaster prompted federal authorities and Congress to review coordination between military and civilian aircraft in shared airspace.
