Overview

• Delta Connection Flight 3788 performed an unplanned go-around on July 18 after the pilot spotted a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress converging with its landing path at Minot International Airport.
• SkyWest Airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Air Force each announced parallel investigations to determine whether established airspace safety protocols were breached.
• The incident exposed a failure to relay military radar information to Minot’s civilian tower, which relies solely on visual separation for arriving aircraft.
• Cockpit audio and passenger recordings that have gone viral capture the pilot’s candid apology for the abrupt maneuver and describe a ‘weirdly calm’ cabin reaction to sudden sharp turns.
• The near miss follows other recent safety lapses in dual-use corridors, including a February runway incursion in Chicago and a January helicopter–jet collision near Washington.