SkyWest pilot’s sharp turn avoids path of B-52

The pilot of a regional airliner flying over North Dakota made an unexpected sharp turn to avoid a manageable midair collision with a military B- bomber that was in its flight path over the weekend The Friday occurrence is detailed in a video taken by a commuter and posted to social media Delta Flight originating from the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport was approaching the Minot International Airport for landing In the video the SkyWest pilot can be heard over the plane s intercom system explaining that he made the hard bank after spotting a B- bomber in his flight path The client who took the video Monica Green stated in an interview that she was sitting near the front of SkyWest Flight from MSP to Minot N D when she felt the plane swerve harshly to the right near the end of the trip The turn was so sharp that she located herself looking out the window not at the sky but at the cornfields below she commented My plane keeps circling and not landing she texted her husband at the time according to a screenshot of their conversation After the plane eventually landed at Minot International Airport she announced the pilot came into the cabin and reported the passengers that he had turned to avoid hitting a military aircraft She mentioned the mood felt eerily calm Sorry about the aggressive maneuver a man she reported was the pilot can be heard saying in the video recording she made from her seat It caught me by surprise This is not normal at all I don t know why they didn t give us a heads up An Air Force spokesperson authenticated Monday that a B- bomber assigned to nearby Minot Air Force Base conducted a flyover Friday of the North Dakota State Fair which is held in Minot The Air Force is looking into the occurrence the spokesman announced The North Dakota situation comes nearly six months after a midair collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner over Washington D C that killed all people aboard the two aircraft That collision and subsequent close calls with Army helicopters over the nation s capital put the spotlight on the interaction between military and civilian flights SkyWest a regional carrier for Delta and other large airlines announced the Friday flight had departed from MSP and landed safely in Minot after performing a go-around maneuver when another aircraft became visible in the SkyWest plane s flight path Minot Air Force Base is about miles north of Minot and is home to B- bombers intercontinental ballistic missile operations and more than military personnel No radar at airport In the video the pilot noted that Minot s small airport does not operate radar and directs flights visually When the airport tower instructed the SkyWest flight to make a right turn upon approach the pilot explained he looked in that direction and saw the bomber in his flight path He informed the tower and made a hard turn to avoid the bomber he revealed I don t know how fast they were going but they were a lot faster than us the pilot announced of the bomber Passengers can be heard applauding as the pilot wrapped up his explanation The Federal Aviation Administration issued a announcement Monday morning totally saying it s examining the case By midafternoon it had issued a second message to note that air traffic services were provided by a private company that services the Minot air traffic control tower These controllers are not FAA employees the agency disclosed A few small airports like Minot s don t have their own radar systems on site In fact the vast majority of the nation s airports don t even have towers But regional FAA radar facilities do oversee traffic all across the country and help direct planes in and out of airports like Minot The Minot airport typically handles between and flights a day Related Articles Republican state Sen Eric Pratt announces bid for Minnesota s nd Congressional District Ringleader gets -year term in robbery of gambler s casino winnings outside Mahtomedi home Minnesota State Sen Bruce Anderson dies at age Zebra mussel larvae verified in Washington County lakes Stillwater District evolution director is hired The pilot s frustration is evident in the video The Air Force base does have radar and nobody noted Hey there s a B- in the pattern the pilot described passengers This description includes information from the New York Times