On Friday, a regional flight operated by SkyWest in North Dakota narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with a B-52 bomber during its final approach to the Minot airport. The pilot executed an aggressive maneuver to prevent a potential disaster, with all 80 passengers and crew members landing safely.
According to a recording of the pilot’s announcement to passengers published on social media, the captain of the flight had to make a sharp turn as the B-52 approached rapidly. The Minot airport control tower was providing visual instructions without radar, as the B-52’s home base had radar, and the pilot expressed confusion over why advance warning was not provided.
The US Air Force acknowledged that the B-52 conducted an approved flyover for the North Dakota state fair. Both SkyWest and the Federal Aviation Administration have stated they are investigating the incident. This near-miss follows a deadly collision in January between a military Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, resulting in 67 fatalities.