Quick-thinking SkyWest pilot pulls ‘aggressive maneuver’ to avoid collision with B-52
A SkyWest pilot performed an “aggressive maneuver” on Friday to avoid a B-52.
SkyWest Airlines was operating a regional flight for Delta Air Lines from Minneapolis to Minot International Airport in North Dakota, when the military plane apparently appeared without warning.
In video captured by Monica Green onboard Flight 3788 and shared with Storyful, the pilot can be heard telling passengers, “Given his speed – it was the military, 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. So sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise. This is not, not normal at all.”
The pilot said nobody told them a B-52 was in the area. They noted Minot International Airport does not have radar and its tower does everything visually. Reaching out about six miles away from the airport as
“I looked over, and there was an airplane,” they recalled. “I said, 'There's an airplane over there,' and he says, 'Turn left,' and then by the time we read back to clearance, looked over and saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us.”
At first, the pilot said they thought it was just a small plane, like others at the airport.
“Nobody said, ‘Hey, there's also a B-52 in the pattern here,” they said, noting that the Air Force base does have radar.
In a statement shared with Paste BN, SkyWest affirmed that the plane had been "cleared for approach by the tower but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path." The Utah-based airline, which operates flights for multiple carriers, added that the plane landed safely and the incident is under investigation. Delta deferred comment to SkyWest since the flight was operated by their flight crew and their aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration and Air Force are also investigating the matter.
"The FAA is investigating the event involving SkyWest Airlines Flight 3788 at Minot International Airport on Friday, July 18," the FAA said in a statement. "Air traffic services were provided by the Minot air traffic control tower, which is run by a private company. These controllers are not FAA employees."
An Air Force spokesperson told Paste BN that a B-52 assigned to Minot Air Force Base conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair on Friday evening. The event had been approved by the FAA, including the local Flight Standards District Office, Minot International Airport air traffic control personnel, and Minot Approach Control (RAPCON), the Air Force stated in a statement Monday evening.
At around 7:40 p.m., the B-52 crew told Minot Approach Control the aircraft was departing the holding point for the fairgrounds, about 12 miles away. When about to leave, the crew contacted the Minot International Airport tower and received instructions for the military plane to “continue two miles westbound after the flyover” and “did not advise of the commercial aircraft,” the statement continued.
Military aircraft often fly without broadcasting their location using a system known as ADS-B out, which can alert other aircraft in the area of their presence.
The practice of military aircraft flying in civilian airspace, particularly for drills and other non-combat missions, without ADS-B out turned on has been under scrutiny since a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet over the Potomac River earlier this year.
Since that incident, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called on the military to enable ADS-B out on most flights, and the Armed Forces have said they are reviewing their policies.
It’s unclear if the military aircraft involved in Friday’s incident had ADS-B out enabled, but it's unlikely. The SkyWest pilot would have likely had more advanced warning of an impending collision if the military plane was broadcasting its location.
(This story was updated to add new information.)