A near miss occurred over the skies of Minot, North Dakota, last week. CNN reports that SkyWest Flight 3788, operating as Delta Connection, was on approach to Minot International Airport when it suddenly swerved to avoid a B-52 bomber converging with its flight path. The pilot performed a go-around, then landed safely. The B-52 was on its way to a flyover of the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot. Neither aircraft appeared to be aware of the other until it was almost too late.
A statement from SkyWest confirmed that its Embraer E175 had been cleared for approach. A TikTok video recorded the pilot explaining what happened to passengers. “Nobody told us about it,” he said, referring to the B-52. Air traffic control initially told him to turn right, but the other aircraft was there in view. By the time he communicated with the tower and read back his clearance to turn left, what he first thought was a small plane had become very large, showing just how quickly the two were closing on each other. The Embraer’s pilot turned sharply to the left and avoided a mid-air collision.
Meanwhile, a statement from Minot Air Force Base says the military had coordinated with civilian authorities, including air traffic control, before and during the flyover. “The tower did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft,” the statement said. Midwest ATC, the contractor who runs the control towers, declined to comment to CNN.
A crash that didn’t happen
The investigation continues into how this situation happened, as it easily could have ended in disaster like the crash in Washington D.C. earlier this year. In both cases, neither the military nor civilian aircraft appeared to be aware of each other’s presence, as confirmed by the military’s statement and the pilot’s own words recorded in the video. Unlike the Washington crash, Minot International Airport is fairly small and does not have radar, meaning that pilots must rely on their eyes rather than electronic aids to avoid other aircraft. It’s possible that the Embraer pilot’s extra awareness gave him the time he needed to identify and avoid the rapidly approaching B-52.
Though it may have been disconcerting to passengers in the moment, an abrupt go-around was the right move for the SkyWest plane. Until the investigation is complete, we won’t know why the B-52 crew did not appear to react at all. If they were unaware of other aircraft in the area, which the military says is the case, they may not even have been looking, trusting air traffic control to maintain separation. While there are lessons to be learned from this incident that shouldn’t have happened, it had the best possible outcome, with everyone walking away unharmed.
