An airline pilot swerved mid-air to avoid a collision with a military bomber in North Dakota, USA, it has been revealed.
The SkyWest flight, operating as a Delta Connection from Minnesota to North Dakota, reportedly almost collided with a military jet – B-52 Stratofortress – flying out of Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota at around 8pm on July 18.
The pilot aboard Delta flight DL3788 – an Embraer E175- made several sharp turns to avoid the mid-air catastrophe, as reported by KMOT News.
In a reel shared on Instagram, passenger Monica Green shared footage of the pilot apologising for the “aggressive manoeuvre” and explaining that another aircraft had been headed towards them.
In the clip, the pilot said he had received no prior warning about nearby military air traffic and added that the bomber was travelling at a faster speed than the Delta flight.
“So sorry about the aggressive manoeuvre, it caught me by surprise, this is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up, because the Air Force base does have radar,” he said.
“Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologise for it and thank you for understanding. Not a fun day at work.”
Ms Green told news outlet NBC: “I just remember the plane going, like, sideways ... and just looking straight out the window and just seeing grass, like you weren't seeing the skyline anymore."
She added that “you could tell [the pilot] was stressed. He was almost shaking, trying to find the right words, but he was nice and detailed. It felt good that they weren’t just going to brush it off”.
According to NBC, SkyWest has since launched an investigation into the incident.
A spokesperson told ABC: “SkyWest flight 3788, operating as Delta Connection from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Minot, North Dakota, landed safely in Minot after being cleared for approach by the tower but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path. We are investigating the incident.”
The Standard has contacted Delta and Minot Air Force Base for comment.
