A Delta Connection flight narrowly avoided a collision with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber while approaching Minot International Airport on Friday.
SkyWest Flight 3788, operating for Delta, was descending toward Minot after departing Minneapolis-St. Paul when the crew spotted the bomber crossing into their flight path.
The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, performed what he described as an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid either a direct collision with the eight-engine bomber or a hazardous encounter with its powerful wake turbulence.
In a video recorded after the incident, the SkyWest pilot can be heard apologizing to passengers over the intercom, explaining that the sudden turn was necessary to steer clear of the bomber and ensure their safety.
“This is not normal at all.”
A Delta regional jet on approach to Minot, North Dakota, made an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a mid-air collision with a B-52 bomber, according to the Delta pilot. Minot is home to an Air Force base with B-52 bombers. https://t.co/pbbiLuQ4xD pic.twitter.com/snyaSNZxK8
— ABC News (@ABC) July 21, 2025
“Sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise,” the pilot says in the recording. “This is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up.”
The Air Force later confirmed a B-52 from nearby Minot Air Force Base, located in North Dakota, was conducting a scheduled flyover of the North Dakota State Fair, the largest annual event in North Dakota, at the time of the incident.
According to an Air Force statement to ABC News, the bomber crew coordinated with Minot’s airport tower but was not advised of the inbound commercial flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday said it is investigating the incident.
