Latest news with #MonicaGreen
Roya News
3 hours ago
- General
- Roya News
US authorities probing airliner's close call with B-52 bomber
US aviation regulators said Monday they are investigating a recent close call in which a passenger plane took emergency action to avoid a mid-air collision with a US military bomber. A Delta flight operated by SkyWest took off Friday from Minneapolis and was approaching the city of Minot, North Dakota when the pilot rapidly rerouted after seeing another aircraft nearing from the right. "I don't know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us, I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it," the pilot told passengers, according to recorded audio of the commercial pilot. "Sorry about the aggressive maneuver," he said. "This is not normal at all." The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that US officials are "investigating the event involving SkyWest Airlines Flight 3788 at Minot International Airport on Friday, July 18. SkyWest said it has also begun a probe. The flight was cleared for approach by the tower "but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path," the carrier said in a statement reported by US media. The US Air Force base near Minot confirmed in a statement that a B-52 bomber performed an approved flyover Friday night at the North Dakota State Fair, and said the crew was communicating with air traffic controllers at Minot's commercial airport. "The B-52 crew contacted Minot International Airport tower and the tower provided instructions to continue two miles westbound after the flyover. The tower did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft," it said. It provided no further details about the near miss. The northern city, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Canada border, is home to a commercial airport and a US Air Force base. In a passenger video posted to Instagram and verified by Storyful, the SkyWest pilot told passengers he was not made aware about the B-52. He said the Minot tower, which does not use radar -- a common situation in smaller, more remote airfields in the United States -- offered guidance that could have put the passenger jet in jeopardy. "He said 'Turn right.' I said there's an airplane over there. And he says 'Turn left,'" the pilot said. "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,'" he said. The passenger who recorded the video, Monica Green, said she was "sick to my stomach" about the near miss. Green, quoted by NBC News, said she felt the jet take a hard turn and then "I just remember the plane going, like, sideways... and just looking straight out the window and just seeing grass" with no visible skyline. The incident comes less than six months after a US Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet approaching Washington's Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.
Business Times
8 hours ago
- General
- Business Times
US authorities probing airliner's close call with B-52 bomber
[WASHINGTON] US aviation regulators said on Monday they are investigating a recent close call in which a passenger plane took emergency action to avoid a mid-air collision with a US military bomber. A Delta flight operated by SkyWest took off Friday from Minneapolis and was approaching the city of Minot, North Dakota when the pilot rapidly rerouted after seeing another aircraft nearing from the right. 'I don't know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us, I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it,' the pilot told passengers, according to recorded audio of the commercial pilot. 'Sorry about the aggressive maneuver,' he said. 'This is not normal at all.' The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that US officials are 'investigating the event involving SkyWest Airlines Flight 3788 at Minot International Airport on Friday, July 18. SkyWest said it has also begun a probe. The flight was cleared for approach by the tower 'but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path,' the carrier said in a statement reported by US media. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The US Air Force base near Minot confirmed in a statement that a B-52 bomber performed an approved flyover Friday night at the North Dakota State Fair, and said the crew was communicating with air traffic controllers at Minot's commercial airport. 'The B-52 crew contacted Minot International Airport tower and the tower provided instructions to continue two miles westbound after the flyover. The tower did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft,' it said. It provided no further details about the near miss. The northern city, about 80 km from the Canada border, is home to a commercial airport and a US Air Force base. In a passenger video posted to Instagram and verified by Storyful, the SkyWest pilot told passengers he was not made aware about the B-52. He said the Minot tower, which does not use radar - a common situation in smaller, more remote airfields in the United States - offered guidance that could have put the passenger jet in jeopardy. 'He said 'Turn right.' I said there's an airplane over there. And he says 'Turn left,'' the pilot said. '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,'' he said. The passenger who recorded the video, Monica Green, said she was 'sick to my stomach' about the near miss. Green, quoted by NBC News, said she felt the jet take a hard turn and then 'I just remember the plane going, like, sideways... and just looking straight out the window and just seeing grass' with no visible skyline. The incident comes less than six months after a US Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet approaching Washington's Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. The disaster prompted federal authorities and Congress to review coordination between military and civilian aircraft flying in the same airspace. AFP
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- General
- New Straits Times
US authorities probing airliner's close call with B-52 bomber
WASHINGTON: US aviation regulators said on Monday they are investigating a recent close call in which a passenger plane took emergency action to avoid a mid-air collision with a US military bomber. A Delta flight operated by SkyWest took off on Friday from Minneapolis and was approaching the city of Minot, North Dakota, when the pilot rapidly rerouted after seeing another aircraft nearing from the right. "I don't know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us. I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it," the pilot told passengers, according to recorded audio of the commercial pilot. "Sorry about the aggressive manoeuvre," he said. "This is not normal at all." The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that US officials are "investigating the event involving SkyWest Airlines Flight 3788 at Minot International Airport on Friday, July 18." SkyWest said it has also begun a probe. The flight was cleared for approach by the tower "but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path," the carrier said in a statement reported by US media. The US Air Force base near Minot confirmed in a statement that a B-52 bomber performed an approved flyover on Friday night at the North Dakota State Fair, and said the crew was communicating with air traffic controllers at Minot's commercial airport. "The B-52 crew contacted Minot International Airport tower and the tower provided instructions to continue two miles westbound after the flyover. The tower did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft," it said. It provided no further details about the near miss. The northern city, about 50 miles (80 kilometres) from the Canadian border, is home to a commercial airport and a US Air Force base. In a passenger video posted to Instagram and verified by Storyful, the SkyWest pilot told passengers he was not made aware about the B-52. He said the Minot tower, which does not use radar – a common situation at smaller, more remote airfields in the United States – offered guidance that could have put the passenger jet in jeopardy. "He said 'Turn right.' I said there's an aeroplane over there. And he says 'Turn left,'" the pilot said. "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,'" he said. The passenger who recorded the video, Monica Green, said she was "sick to my stomach" about the near miss. Green, quoted by NBC News, said she felt the jet take a hard turn and then "I just remember the plane going, like, sideways... and just looking straight out the window and just seeing grass" with no visible skyline. The incident comes less than six months after a US Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet approaching Washington's Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. The disaster prompted federal authorities and Congress to review coordination between military and civilian aircraft flying in the same airspace.
Qatar Tribune
12 hours ago
- General
- Qatar Tribune
Delta pilot makes ‘aggressive manoeuvre' to avoid collision with military jet
A Delta airlines pilot was forced to make an 'aggressive' evasive manoeuvre to avoid a potential mid-air collision with a US military aircraft before landing in North Dakota. The pilot, who identified the aircraft as a B-52 bomber, is heard in video recordings shared on social media saying it was 'kind of, sort of coming at us'. 'So, sorry about the aggressive manoeuvre,' he says. Delta Air Lines regional jet SkyWest Flight 3788 was en route from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Minot, North Dakota on Friday, the airline said. 'We took a really hard right turn, we were completely sideways,' Monica Green, a woman on the flight who recorded the audio told the BBC. 'I was facing the grass.' 'We had no idea what was going on, we didn't know if there was anything wrong with the plane or if the sharp turns would continue,' Ms Green said. As soon as the plane became level again, the passengers went quiet, she said. The aircraft landed safely 'after being cleared for approach' but 'performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path', the SkyWest airlines said in a statement. After the plane landed, the pilot came out from the cockpit and explained to the passengers that the tower instructed him to turn right but that when he looked over, he saw a B-52 bomber. At that point he was instructed to turn left but said he looked over and 'saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us'. The pilot told the passengers that the other aircraft was moving faster than the SkyWest plane, so he made the decision to turn behind it. 'It caught me by surprise,' he said. 'This is not normal at all. I don't know why they didn't give us a heads up.' He concluded his message with an apology: 'Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it - and thank you for understanding.' Passengers responded with applause, the video shows. SkyWest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident. (Agencies)A US Air Force B-52H 'Stratofortress' from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota is being refueled in this December 2020 photo provided by the Air Force.
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Delta flight swerves to avoid hitting military plane in shocking near miss
A Delta pilot pulled off an 'aggressive maneuver' to avoid colliding with a military bomber, preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster over North Dakota. The regional jet was nearing Minot International Airport after a 90-minute flight from Minneapolis–Saint Paul when the pilot suddenly began making a series of sharp, unexpected turns. Unbeknownst to the passengers at the time, the plane had come terrifyingly close to crashing into a massive military jet flying out of Minot Air Force Base. Monica Green, a passenger on the flight, told a local outlet: 'Being in the very front row, you feel everything, and those hard turns, you could tell something wasn't right.' The pilot's quick thinking saved hundreds of lives, despite unsettling passengers. As the pilot sharply swerved through the air to avoid disaster, passengers described the atmosphere onboard as 'weirdly calm', despite the sudden turns. Green added: 'We took a really hard turn, and that's when the pilot got on the intercom and said, '"sorry everybody, I'll explain everything when we land safely". The way he said it, it almost sounded like he was insinuating that landing safely might not be an option for a moment. We all just kind of looked at each other and stayed quiet.' The flight circled Minot Airport several times before finally landing, with passengers sensing the rising tension among the crew. Some, including Green, quietly began texting loved ones. Describing the pilot's demeanor, Green said: 'He was very casual, if you can be casual about something like that. But you could tell he 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.' Once the plane landed safely, the pilot addressed passengers and said that air traffic control had instructed an abrupt course change due to inadequate separation from another aircraft on the approach path. He told passengers he had received no prior warning about nearby military air traffic - something he noted was highly unusual, given Minot Air Force Base's radar capabilities. Acting fast, the pilot decided the safest move was to swerve the plane behind the bomber - hence the abrupt movements, according to video obtained by ABC News. 'Given his speed - I don't know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us, I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it,' the pilot said once on the ground. He added: 'So sorry about the aggressive maneuver, 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. 'Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it, and thank you for understanding. Not a fun day at work.' Monica Green, a passenger on the flight with a sizable Instagram following, shared a clip of the pilot's in-flight explanation to her platform, praising his expertise in the caption and thanking him for keeping everyone safe. In the video, the pilot is heard calmly explaining to passengers that another aircraft had been heading toward them - and noting that he still didn't understand why they hadn't been informed about it in the airspace. He also explained that he initially thought the approaching aircraft was a small plane - but it turned out to be a massive military jet. Although Green couldn't see the bomber from her seat, she later overheard tense conversations in the small airport terminal - passengers and crew quietly discussing just how close the collision had actually been. 'When we landed, it was really quiet. No one stood up right away like people normally do,' she said, adding: 'At the airport, I heard some people saying their friends saw it from the ground. The other plane nearly hit us, and it went so low it passed under us.' SkyWest has since launched an investigation into the incident, a spokesperson told ABC in a statement. '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,' the statement read. 'We are investigating the incident.'
