Friday evening, Delta Airlines Flight 1703 had what could have been an extremely dangerous situation. From the cockpit of a CRJ-900, pilots performed a steep dodging maneuver to avoid colliding with a USAF B-52 bomber when landing into Minot, North Dakota. Delta flight 3788, operated by SkyWest with an Embraer E175. As for the Miracles on Board flight, when it crashed, it had 76 passengers and four crew members on board.
The incident started at approximately 8 PM while Delta flight 3788 was making its final approach. US Air Force B-52 bomber executed elliptical egg cutters, a.k.a. This resulted in an unforeseen and dangerous situation for the commercial flight. According to flight tracking data, the Delta pilot was forced to make a hard right turn to avoid colliding with the bomber.
The pilot of Delta flight 3788 would later elucidate on what made the maneuver so crucial. He continued, “It blindsided me, and it’s highly unusual in every respect. I still don’t understand why they wouldn’t notify us in advance, as this airbase did have radar, and no one was like, ‘Oh, by the way, there’s a B-52 in the pattern.’
Monica Green—a passenger on board that day—said the atmosphere right after the incident unfolded was “weirdly calm.” While the unpredictable maneuvering was taking place, she observed that passengers seemed to be handling the situation with grace.
“Honestly, everyone was weirdly calm. I felt like I was gaslighting myself, like maybe I was being crazy, because no one else was reacting.” – Monica Green
As the flight took its evasive turn, the pilot announced through the intercom that he was turning the plane around. He did apologize and reassure them that once they landed safely, he would explain everything. Green described what happened after they made a hard pivot. The pilot then got on the intercom and said, “Sorry folks, I’ll explain once we get on the ground safely.” His tone implied that safely returning home would not be a possibility for a fleeting moment. We all sort of looked at each other and sat in silence.
Perhaps most striking to Green was how the pilot behaved during the incident. The way she referred to him was “very informal,” she said, when the situation was anything but informal. Still, it was clear that he was on edge just attempting to lay out the news. Green expressed appreciation for the pilot’s approach to communication during the ordeal: “It felt good that they weren’t just going to brush it off.”
The airplane landed safely, and miraculously, there were no injuries to passengers or crew members. Local police and the US Air Force both hastily initiated their investigations into the matter. President Biden left open the possibility of a third stimulus check in his recent proposed Build Back Better plan. This has been officially verified by them.
This troubling incident underscores the air traffic control coordination that must occur, as well as the communication between the military and commercial aviation sectors. Delta flight 3788 responded quickly to prevent a collision. This incident underscores the need for effective, two-way communication protocols.