
Delta pilot's ‘aggressive maneuver' evades B-52 bomber, prevents mid-air collision in harrowing flight nightmare
The Embraer E175 jet — en route from Minneapolis-Saint Paul to Minot International Airport in North Dakota — came perilously close to colliding with a B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base Saturday night.
The Delta Connection pilot performed an 'aggressive maneuver' to avoid the incoming bomber, which crew members as well as passengers on the right side of the jet could see from their windows, Aviation A2Z reported.
A quick-thinking pilot's maneuver potentially avoided disaster.
AFP via Getty Images
The pilot told passengers over the plane's public address system that he received instructions from air traffic controllers to change direction due to inadequate separation from a preceding aircraft on the approach path.
He explained that he had no prior warning of military air traffic, and determined the safest course of action was to turn the plane behind the bomber, the outlet writes.
After the plane landed safely, relieved passengers thanked the pilot for his transparency during the frightening near-miss.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hill
3 days ago
- The Hill
2 flight attendants injured in Southwest Airlines flight
Two flight attendants were injured on a Southwest Airlines flight taking off in Burbank, Calif. after the plane made several sudden altitude changes to avoid colliding with another aircraft. CNN reported that the Las Vegas-bound flight made a sudden drop of 475 feet in order to avoid a privately owned Hawker Hunter fighter jet. The commercial jet then climbed about 600 feet in about a minute. The extent of the injuries were not disclosed. 'Southwest is engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration to further understand the circumstances,' the airline said in a statement to NewsNation. 'Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.' The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it was investigating the incident and that it was in contact with the airline. Most commercial planes are equipped with an alert system to avoid collisions that can direct pilots to climb or descend rapidly. The avoided collision comes less than a week after a SkyWest Airlines plane made what the pilot called an 'aggressive maneuver' during landing in North Dakota to avoid a B-52 bomber. In January, an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter during a training exercise above the Potomac River, killing 67 people. The FAA has since modified helicopter routes in and around Washington Reagan National Airport, some of the most complex and restricted airspace in the country.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
US Osprey makes emergency landing in Japan, officials say
TOKYO - -A U.S. CV-22 Osprey made what Japanese officials called an emergency landing Thursday at Hanamaki Airport in northeastern Japan, about 300 miles north of Tokyo. Airport officials say the tilt-rotor aircraft touched down safely after reporting a mechanical issue mid-flight. The U.S. Air Force said the craft made a "precautionary landing" during a flight from Misawa Air Base to its home base, Yokota Air Base. No injuries were reported. Operations for commercial flights continued as normal. Video from Japanese broadcaster NHK shows the aircraft taxiing to the apron where uniformed personnel could be seen on top of the aircraft, near the center, inspecting the aircraft. Japan's Defense Ministry says it has dispatched staff to the site and is in contact with U.S. forces. MORE: Pentagon to lift grounding order on V-22 Osprey, 3 months after deadly crash The landing came six days after another U.S. Osprey set down in Akita Prefecture for a safety inspection, according to Japanese officials. That aircraft remained on the ground for over seven hours. A U.S. military public affairs officer described the Thursday incident as a "precautionary landing." The V-22 Osprey has been involved in several incidents in recent years, including a crash off Yakushima, in southern Japan, in 2023 that killed eight and grounded the fleet for months. MORE: 4 US Marines killed in Osprey aircraft crash during training in Norway Cullen Drenkhahn, a 1st lieutenant serving as a public affairs advisor for the 353d Special Operations Wing Kadena AB, told ABC News, "I can confirm a U.S. CV-22 Osprey conducted a precautionary landing today at Iwate Hanamaki Airport at 9:45 a.m." "The landing was executed safely and in accordance with policies. An assessment is ongoing to gather additional information. No injuries or damages occurred. There were no interruptions to airport operations," Drenkhahn said. "The aircraft is assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing and was flying from Misawa Air Base to its home base, Yokota Air Base. He added, "No further information at this time. the safety of our pilots and aircrew, as well as the men and women of Japan is our foremost priority."


Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Close call between a B-52 bomber and a commercial jet over North Dakota puts focus on small airports
The evasive action an airline pilot took to avoid a B-52 bomber in the skies over North Dakota has focused attention on the way small airport towers are often run by private companies without their own radars. Neither one of the pilots of the bomber or of the Delta Air Lines jet seemed to know the other plane was there before the airline pilot saw the B-52 looming in its path. The incident last Friday is still under investigation. But the Air Force has said the controller at the Minot airport didn't let the bomber's crew know about the airliner, and the SkyWest pilot flying the Delta flight told passengers he was surprised. Passengers were alarmed by the sharp turn and dive the pilot of Delta Flight 3788 executed to avoid the bomber that had just completed a flyover at the State Fair in Minot, and a video shot aboard the plane captured the pilot's explanation afterward. 'Sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise,' the pilot can be heard saying on the video posted on social media. 'This is not normal at all. I don't know why they didn't give us a heads-up.' This close call is just the latest incident to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January's midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. Here's more about the way small airports like Minot operate: Many small airports lack radar It is common for small airports across the country to operate without their own radar systems because it would be too costly to install them at every airport. But there generally aren't many problems with that. The controllers at small airports are able to guide planes in to land visually with binoculars and radios as long as the weather is clear. Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, said if the weather is bad, a regional FAA radar facility may be able to help, but ultimately planes simply won't land if the weather is too bad. Sometimes small airport towers do have a video feed that gives controllers a view of a radar screen at an FAA facility miles away. Because the radar is so far away the display may not be as detailed about planes flying close to the ground, but the system does give controllers more information. It's not clear if the Minot tower has one of those systems because the company that runs it, Midwest Air Traffic Control Inc., hasn't responded to questions since the incident. The overlapping network of FAA radar facilities across the country also keeps track of planes flying between airports, and an approach control radar center in Minneapolis helps direct planes in and out of Minot before controllers at the airport take over once they see the planes. The Minot airport typically handles between 18 and 24 flights a day. That's how it works at many small airports. 'Most times it works just fine,' Guzzetti said. Some of these small airports could gain radar as part of a massive overhaul of the air traffic control system, but that will depend on how busy the airports are and how much funding Congress ultimately approves for the multibillion-dollar project. So far, $12.5 billion was included in President Trump's overall budget bill. Private companies operate the towers The FAA says that 265 airport towers nationwide are operated by companies as part of the contract system. The Transportation Department's Inspector General has said the contract towers that handle more than one quarter of the nation's flights are more cost effective than comparable FAA towers and have similar safety records. In some cases, local governments help pay the costs of contract towers. The program began in 1982 at five less busy towers that had closed because of the air traffic controller strike the previous year, and it has expanded significantly over the years because it has been so successful. Most of the airports with contract towers would have no controllers without the program. 'Common sense would tell you that having an extra set of eyes controlling the local traffic — especially in good weather — would be safer than having no controller and just having the pilots talking to each other,' Guzzetti said. That's exactly how it works at the vast majority of the 5,100 public airports nationwide that are smaller than Minot. Pilots at those uncontrolled airports use their radios to coordinate takeoffs and landings with other planes in the area. Only about 10% of all airports have towers. The FAA says it works closely with the companies that run contract towers to ensure their controllers are properly trained. It is easier to get certified at a contract tower because they handle fewer flights than FAA towers even though controllers are held to the same standard. More controllers are needed nationwide The ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers has persisted for years partly because it takes so long to train and certify new controllers. The FAA has said that it is roughly 3,000 short of the number of controllers it should have at its facilities. The staffing situation at private towers is similar because they hire from the same pool of candidates. All the roughly 1,400 controllers at these smaller airports have to meet the same qualification and training requirements. But contract towers also have the ability to hire controllers who retired from an FAA tower before the mandatory retirement age of 56. The contract towers don't have a retirement age. The FAA has been working for a long time to hire more air traffic controllers to replace retiring workers and handle growing air traffic. But it can be hard to find good candidates for the stressful positions who can complete the rigorous training. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced several efforts to hire and retain more controllers. The FAA is trying to shorten the time it takes between when someone applies to the air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City and when they start training, and the agency is also trying to improve the graduation rate there by offering more support to the students. The candidates with the highest scores on the entrance exam are also getting top priority. The FAA is also offering bonuses to experienced controllers if they opt not to retire early and continue working to help ease the shortage. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .