Flight Out Of Minneapolis Swerves To Avoid B‑52 Before Landing

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A flight departing from Minneapolis was forced to abort its landing in North Dakota on Friday after encountering a B-52 bomber in its flight path, according to the pilot.

Passengers aboard the SkyWest Delta connection flight to Minot reported feeling the plane swerve sharply during its final approach.

"Sorry about the aggressive maneuver," the pilot told passengers after the plane landed safely. "It caught me by surprise. This is not normal at all."

"I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up," he continued, according to a recording from the conversation. "The [Minot] Air Force base does have radar, and nobody said, 'Hey, there’s also a B-52 in the pattern.'"

The pilot noted that the commercial airport in Minot relies on visual operations and does not have radar.

The flight path was erratic, as shown here when the Minneapolis flight abruptly looped away to avoid the military aircraft.

At the time of the incident, passenger Monica Green texted her husband, "My plane keeps circling and not landing," according to a screenshot shared with the New York Times.

In a statement, SkyWest said Sunday that Flight 3788 had "performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible" in its flight path as it tried to land at the Minot airport on Friday.