On July 18, on a flight headed from Minneapolis–Saint Paul to Minot, North Dakota, a SkyWest Airlines pilot operating as Delta Connection flight 3788 executed a startling escape move that likely saved dozens of lives—thanks to an instantaneous decision, passengers say, that veered the plane behind a U.S. Air Force B‑52 bomber. The Washington Post confirms the evasive go-around, and praises the split-second reaction.
As the Embraer E175 began its descent, air traffic control cleared them—but then a massive bomber approached without prior warning, and the pilot had to initiate an “aggressive maneuver,” banking sharply to avoid collision. He later admitted to passengers that no radar warning came—even though Minot AFB operates high-powered military radar. Business Insider reports the pilot’s surprise at the lack of coordination.
“It caught me by surprise… this is not normal at all. Not a fun day at work,” the pilot said.
Several passengers reported the cabin went eerily quiet after a sudden sideways tilt. Monica Green, sitting front-row-right, said “it felt like grass outside the window,” a terrifying sensation during a landing approach. The Sun picked up her chilling quote as the pilot moved them behind the bomber.
Passengers later gave the pilot a standing ovation, praising his clear explanations. “He apologized and said he’d explain after landing,” one said, noting they could hear the tension in his voice even though he remained calm. His transparency helped stabilize the atmosphere. New York Post notes that his voice actually shook.
“He was casual…but you could tell he was stressed—trying to find the right words.”
SkyWest confirmed the plane was cleared to land but diverted when an unexpected aircraft entered the path. Investigators are now probing how the B‑52—a heavy, faster military jet—could have converged with the commercial flight. UNILAD highlights how he prioritized passenger safety instantly.
The Air Force acknowledged a flyover was happening for the North Dakota State Fair, but said notification and coordination are still being reviewed. ABC News quotes the Air Force confirming the review and lack of immediate comment on proximity.
Minot isn’t unique in lacking full radar control for civilian flights; small airports often rely on surrounding military installations. Aviation analyst Jeff Guzzetti told Hindustan Times that go-arounds are standard, but few involve military jets on the same frequency and trajectory.
This near-miss follows a deadly mid-air collision January 2025 between a civilian jet and Army Black Hawk near D.C., killing all 67 aboard. Wikipedia notes that tragedy triggered intense scrutiny of civilian-military aerial coordination.
A B‑52 near‑miss is rare, but not unprecedented: a notorious split-second incident during a 1965 mid-air collision test taught pilots that aggressive avoidance saves lives. That event also relied on split-second reactions to avert disaster, and now history is repeating in a real-world setting.
Now, air‑safety experts question whether military flyovers near civilian airports should be better coordinated—even when scheduled for public events. The Daily Beast explains that coordination gaps are likely policy failures, not pilot errors.
FAA regulators say they’ve launched inquiries into Minot’s approach procedures as well as ATC communication lines. Investigation updates include checking transponder data and flight paths.
Many along the #AviationTwitterverse are praising the pilot’s split-second decision-making, saying it’s a case study in airmanship. One Reddit thread has already called it a “textbook go-around” that saved lives. Reddit comments capture the professional consensus—without him, outcomes could have been disastrous.
A spokesperson for SkyWest said the pilot followed training “to the letter,” and that flight 3788 landed safely shortly after circling. Minot tower records, shared with Live 5 News, show a sharp climb-and-bank sequence that matches eyewitness accounts.
As aviation continues evolving with mixed airspaces, this incident is sparking renewed emphasis on shared radar sweeps, flight-tracking protocols, and perhaps even mandatory military alerts to civilian flights in overlapping zones. Washington Post editors argue that safety depends on better cross-sector communication.
In the end, passengers say they felt safe only after the pilot’s transparent explanation. His insistence on owning the moment, not hiding it, helped restore calm. Just one voice, one human action, turned a near-disaster into a landing to applause—a clear reminder that despite technology, it’s human judgment that often spells survival.
LEAVE US A COMMENT
Comments
comments