SkyWest flight does “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a B-52 military aircraft, pilot says
Friday evening, the pilot of a Skywest flight told passengers that he had made an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid an apparent B -52 military plane in flight when he arrived for an landing in Minot, the Dakota of the North – then apologized for the sudden movement.
The airline said in a statement that Skywest Flight 3788, operating as Delta Connection on a flight from Minneapolis, “landed safely in Minot after being authorized to approach the tower but carrying out a postponement when another plane became visible in their flight trajectory. We are investigating the incident.”
In a video recorded by the passenger Monica Green and obtained by CBS News, the pilot is heard calmly to passengers: “For those of you on the right side, you have probably seen the plane that came to us.
The pilot explained that the Tower of Minot airport has no radar, so the air controllers are visually.
The pilot said that he “had seen the plane that came in a way on a convergent route with us”.
“Given his speed,” continued the pilot, “it was a soldier (plane). I don’t know how much they went, but they were much faster than us. I thought the safest thing to do was to turn around. So, sorry for the aggressive maneuver. It surprised me.
“It is not at all normal. I do not know why they did not give us a tête-à-tête because the base of the Air Force (nearby) has a radar and no one said:” Hey, there is also a B-52 in the pattern. “”
The Air Force confirmed on Monday in a statement to CBS News that a B-52 plane assigned to the Air Force base opened in the region at the time, after having overflown the Dakota State Fair in the North.
“In short, it was not fun but I apologize and thank you for everything. It was not a fun day at work today,” added the pilot, how the passengers started to applaud.
Skywest said the flight had 76 passengers and four crew members on board.
An Air Force spokesperson told CBS News: “We are aware of the recent reports concerning commercial aircraft and the Air Force operating in the airspace around Minot International Airport. We are currently examining the question.”
Green, the passenger who recorded the video, said that the plane was going down, she felt him shake to the right.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it was investigating the incident.
Kris Van Cleave contributed to this report.
