Delta airliner is filmed making 'aggressive maneuver' to avoid midair crash with B-52 bomber
Josh Kadrmas and his wife were attending the opening ceremony of the North Dakota State Fair on Friday night when a B–52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base roared overhead in a scheduled flyover.
Kadrmas pulled out his phone to record the bomber but accidentally caught something far more dramatic: Delta flight 3788 swerving to avoid the military aircraft.
'At the time I recorded it I obviously didn't notice that there was maybe a close issue there,' Kadrmas told KFYR.
He reviewed the footage after seeing headlines about the close call. 'You take a step back and look at the footage later [there is] not a lot of geographical separation between those two aircraft,' he said.
'Communication is always something that is a challenge in any industry, aviation included,' added Kadrmas, who is a scientist. 'So this is hopefully a lesson learned and something that carries forward in safety when it comes to airlines.'
Delta Flight 3788, operated by SkyWest as a regional Delta Connection flight from Minneapolis to Minot, was on final approach at the time of the incident, which the FAA has confirmed it is investigating.
Flight tracking data shows the Embraer E175 abruptly climbing and circling before returning to land safely.
SkyWest said: '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.'
Passengers on board were unaware at the time just how close they came to a possible catastrophe.
After landing, the pilot addressed his terrified passengers, revealing how air traffic control had instructed an abrupt course change due to inadequate separation from another aircraft on the approach path.
'For those of you on the right-hand side, you probably saw the airplane kind of sort of coming at us. Nobody told us about it, and so we continued,' he explained over the public announcement system.
He explained how there is no radar at Minot Airport so air traffic control has to 'visually' check that aircraft have enough clearance.
He alleged he received no prior warning about nearby military air traffic and, having to act fast, decided the safest move was to abruptly swerve behind the bomber.
Air traffic control informed the pilot to turn right because the spacing between Delta Flight 3788 and the jet ahead of it was too small.
'I looked over and there was an airplane, which those of you on the right-hand side, I thought it was a small airplane,' the pilot told the passengers in footage captured by passenger Monica Green.
'He [air traffic control] said, "Turn right." I said, "There's an airplane over there" And he says, "Turn left." And that by the time we read back to clearance, looked over and saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us.'
He also collectedly explained that he initially thought the approaching aircraft was a small plane - but it turned out to be a massive military jet.
The pilot said he did not know how fast the bomber was flying but knew 'they were a lot faster than us' and 'felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it'.
Despite the seriousness of what he was describing, his tone remained steady and composed throughout, just like it was just another day in the air.
'So sorry about the aggressive maneuver, it caught me by surprise, this is not normal at all,' he added.
'I don't know why they didn't give us a heads up, because the Air Force base does have radar, and nobody said, "Hey, there's also a B-52 in the pattern."'
'Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it, and thank you for understanding. Not a fun day at work.'
Despite the shock, the pilot's calm and composed explanation was met with a wave of applause from the cabin – a collective release of tension as passengers realized how narrowly disaster had been averted.
It remains unclear just how close the two aircraft came, or whether any cockpit warning systems were triggered during the encounter, according to ABC News.
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