NTSB focused on controllers after B-52 bomber and two planes nearly collided over North Dakota
By JOSH FUNK
Updated 3:46 PM EDT, August 28, 2025
Shortly after an airliner made an aggressive maneuver to avoid colliding with a B-52 last month over North Dakota, the bomber nearly collided with a small private plane as it flew past the Minot airport, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Investigators released their preliminary report Wednesday on the July 18 incident that happened after the bomber completed a flyover at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot. The close call with Delta Flight 3788 is well known because of a video a passenger shot of the pilot’s announcement after making an abrupt turn to avoid the bomber. But the fact that the B-52 subsequently came within one-third of a mile of a small Piper airplane hadn’t been previously reported.
The SkyWest pilot told his passengers that day that he was surprised to see the bomber looming to the right, and the U.S. Air Force also said that air traffic controllers never warned the B-52 crew about the nearby airliner. Officials said at the time that the flyover had been cleared with the FAA and the private controllers who oversee the Minot airport ahead of time.
The NTSB report on these close calls focuses on the actions of air traffic controllers that day. This incident was just the latest one to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January’s midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.
https://apnews.com/article/b52-bomber-near-miss-ntsb-minot-078839e067e8e458843e4265718b5a30
