A Delta flight became tense and quiet for passengers after yet another scary incident in the skies.
The commercial pilot made an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber. AviationA2Z said the close call happened aboard a SkyWest flight 3788, operating as a Delta Connection, to Minot International Airport (MOT).
The SkyWest jet was coming in for a landing in Minot, North Dakota, on Friday when the jet nearly collided with the massive military plane.
Footage from passengers on board recorded the pilot’s apology after landing safely at the airport.
“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 Delta pilot said.
“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.”
NEW: Delta pilot makes an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid colliding with a B-52 bomber above Minot, North Dakota.
New audio footage captured by a passenger onboard the plane reveals what exactly happened, according to the pilot.
“Given his speed … I don’t know how fast they… pic.twitter.com/Hos687fZRm
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 20, 2025
It is still unclear how close the jets got to colliding or if any alarms went off in the cockpit to warn the pilots.
In a statement, SkyWest said:
“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. We are investigating the incident.”
Delta Passengers Applaud Pilot After Terrifying Near-Miss
Delta Air Lines flight 3788 nearly collided with another aircraft as it flew from Minneapolis–St. Paul to Minot, North Dakota.
Minot is home to an Air Force base where the 5th Bomb Wing’s 26 B-52 Stratofortress bombers are based.
The Delta Connection flight began its descent toward Minot, and the plane suddenly performed an evasive maneuver to avoid another aircraft that suddenly appeared on their flight path.
The pilot spoke to passengers afterwards about the situation.
Ultimately, the SkyWest pilot called it “not a fun day at work.”
Passengers broke into applause.
