US airline pilot makes ‘aggressive maneuver’ to avoid colliding with air force bomber | US news

The pilot of a commercial airliner said that he had to make an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid collision with a US Air Force B-52 bomber when he landed in Minot, North Dakota on Friday.

Skywest Airlines pilot said he was allowed to land during a trip to Minneapolis-St Paul (MSP) in Minot when he spotted the vast nuclear kamikaze on his right side and was said to go around.

“No one told us about it,” said the pilot to passengers above the aircraft speaker later, according to a video published on social networks.

“I thought it was a small plane, like the ones you see at the airport right now, and he said” turn right “, and I said:” There is an airplane there “, and he says” turn on the left “, and when we read the clearance, we looked and saw the plane which was sort of on a convergent path with us.”

The pilot told passengers that the surest thing to do was to turn behind the other plane, given his speed, according to the Minot Daily News.

“So sorry for the aggressive maneuver,” said the pilot. “It took me by surprise, and it is not at all normal. I do not know why they did not give us an advance, because the air base has a radar, and no one said:” Hey, there is also a B-52 in the model. “”

The pilot described experience as “not a fun day at work”.

A B-52H with the fifth bomb based at the Minot Air Force base had overflown the North Dakota State Fair held at the same time, according to military officials.

The Skywest flight, on an EMME E175, operating as a DELTA connection, landed around 8 p.m. The flight tracking data showed the descent flight before making a lively turn on the right while showing the B-52 making ellipses in the region.

Monica Green described the atmosphere on board as “strangely calm” despite the unexpected evasive maneuvers.

“Honestly, everyone was weird.

“We took a very difficult turn, and that’s when the pilot went on the intercom and said:” Sorry, everyone, I’m going to explain everything when we will land safely. “The way he said it, it seemed almost insinuating that landing safely could not be an option for a while.

Green also said that the pilot was “very relaxed, if you can be relaxed about something like that, but you might say that he was stressed”.

“He was almost trembling, was trying to find the right words, but he was kind and detailed,” said Green. “It was good that they didn’t just go brushing it.”

When the plane landed, she added: “It was really calm. No one got up right away like people normally.

Skywest said in a statement that the plane had been authorized to land, but the pilot “made a posting of reports when another plane became visible in their flight trajectory”. The airline said the 76 passengers and four crew members on board had landed safely.

Skywest and the Federal Aviation Administration said they were investigating the incident.

The Air Force also told Washington Post that it “was aware of recent reports concerning commercial aircraft and the Air Force operating in airspace around Minot International Airport. We are currently examining the question ”.

The incident occurs in the context of increased anxiety concerning communications between commercial and military flights after an army helicopter collided with a jet of passengers in January near Reagan National Airport outside Washington DC, killing the 67 people on board the two planes.

Another incident involving a Skywest flight has also made the headlines recently. Skywest Flight 3612 went to Detroit on Thursday when he had an emergency landing at Cedar Rapids, in Iowa, after a passenger fought with a on-board agent and tried to open a hi-chilly exit door, according to the Associated Press.

Local police went on board and arrested the passenger – Omaha, Nebraska – After landing the flight, the AP reported.