Near-Miss Incident Involving B-52 Bomber and Passenger Jet in North Dakota

During a scheduled flyover at the North Dakota State Fair, a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base nearly collided with an inbound commercial passenger plane, prompting the military to raise concerns about air traffic communication failures.

The flyover, which had been approved in advance with the Federal Aviation Administration and coordinated with local air traffic control, was reportedly underway without incident until the Delta flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul made sudden and aggressive maneuvers to avoid the approaching bomber, which was visible from the aircraft’s right side.

The Delta crew described the pilot’s response in a video shared on social media, revealing that he had to perform sharp banking maneuvers after unexpectedly observing the bomber directly in their landing path. The pilot apologized, noting he was caught off guard by the aircraft’s proximity and criticizing the lack of advance warning from air traffic control.

Officials stated that after the flyover, the B-52 crew was instructed to continue flying westward, crossing the fairgrounds at a low altitude before returning to base. They confirmed that air traffic controllers failed to alert the bomber about the inbound passenger aircraft, leading to a tense moment in the skies.

The incident has raised alarms about aviation safety, especially since it occurs amidst a series of recent aviation incidents. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the near-collision.