Pilot of Regional Jet Executes Sharp Turn to Avoid B-52 Bomber Near Minot Airport, FAA Investigating
- Victor Nwoko
- Jul 21
- 2 min read
A commercial pilot flying a regional Delta flight was forced to make a sudden, sharp maneuver over North Dakota to avoid a midair conflict with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber in the aircraft’s path, prompting an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The incident occurred Friday as SkyWest Airlines Flight 3788, operating on behalf of Delta, was on final approach to Minot International Airport. The flight had originated from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. As the aircraft neared its destination, the pilot unexpectedly banked left in an aggressive maneuver to avoid the incoming bomber, which he later explained over the plane's intercom.
“Sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise,” the pilot can be heard saying in a video recorded by a passenger. “This is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up.”
The unexpected movement sparked alarm among passengers, but the flight landed safely following a go-around maneuver. SkyWest confirmed the flight’s safe landing and reported that the pilot acted out of caution after visually identifying another aircraft in its path. Minot, located approximately 100 miles north of Bismarck and about 50 miles from the Canadian border, has a relatively small airport that does not operate radar control, relying instead on visual instructions from air traffic controllers.
According to the pilot, the airport tower had instructed the flight to turn right on approach. However, upon looking in that direction, he saw a B-52 bomber occupying the same airspace. He promptly informed the tower and veered sharply to the left instead.
“I don't know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us,” the pilot said, referring to the bomber.
Minot Air Force Base, located roughly 10 miles north of the city, is home to 26 B-52 bombers, a fleet of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and more than 5,400 military personnel. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed that a B-52 assigned to the base had conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair on Friday. The Air Force said it is now reviewing reports that one of its bombers may have been operating in the same airspace as the SkyWest flight.
The pilot expressed frustration with the situation, noting that while Minot’s civilian airport lacks radar, the nearby Air Force base does not.
“The Air Force base does have radar, and nobody said, ‘Hey, there’s a B-52 in the pattern,’” he told passengers.
The FAA has launched an investigation into the near-miss. SkyWest stated it is cooperating fully with authorities and is conducting an internal review of the incident.
The scare comes less than six months after a tragic midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial jetliner over Washington, D.C., which resulted in 67 fatalities.
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