According to initial information, the incident is believed to have occurred on July 18, when the Sky West plane was given landing gear by air traffic control to Minot, northern Dakota after a journey from Minneapolis.
However, the Sky West pilot had to perform a rundating flight when he discovered another plane resembling a flying fortress B-52 while approaching the airport.
According to the pilot, the air traffic controller instructed him to turn right, but when he looked up, he saw a B-52 flying in the direction of convergence with the Sky West plane.
After that, despite being instructed to turn left, the pilot saw the other plane moving faster, so he decided to turn right behind, the pilot shared.
The pilot later explained the incident, apologizing to passengers on the flight for harsh handling. "This is completely unusual. I don't know why they didn't tell us in advance," the pilot said.
The pilot concluded: "In short, it was not an interesting experience, but I apologize for that and thank you for your sympathy."
Notably, a video of a passenger named Monica Green shows the pilot also mentioning that the control tower serving Minot International Airport does not have radar and controllers only rely on observation with the eyes to make orders.
Green's passenger shared that at that time she was very shocked, feeling "the plane was flying over and when looking straight out the window, she could only see the ground".
Sky West said the case is under further investigation.
Meanwhile, on July 20, the US Air Force also said it was "reviewing" reports of a military aircraft "operating in the same airspace" as a commercial aircraft.
According to the US Air Force, a B-52 from Minot Air Force Base made a performance flight at the North Dakota State Fair on the evening of July 18 (local time).
The recent near-collision has many people reminded themselves of the collision between a military helicopter and a passenger plane near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport 6 months ago, which killed 67 people.
