Delta Pilot Narrowly Avoids Collision With B-52 Bomber Performing A Flyover Ahead Of Bailey Zimmerman Concert At North Dakota State Fair

Crowd almost got more than a concert…

It seems like we’re hearing about a lot more plane crashes and near misses recently, despite the fact that the number of incidents reported by the NTSB is largely in line with years prior.

Of course a lot of the increased awareness is due to the tragic collision back in January between an American Airlines flight and a US Army helicopter, which killed 67 people in the first major US commercial plane crash since 2009.

And over the weekend, passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight had their own scare as they were coming in for a landing in North Dakota.

A video posted to social media after the flight shows the pilot explaining to passengers why he was forced to make a sudden course adjustment while landing SkyWest Flight 3788, which operates as a regional carrier for Delta, in Minot, North Dakota.

As it turns out, there was a US Air Force B-52 bomber coming at them:

“For those of you on the righthand side, you probably saw the airplane kind of sort of coming at us. Nobody told us about it, and so we continued…

And there’s no radar here, so the tower does everything visually. And so they said report about six miles from the airport. So we did that.

I think he realized that the spacing wasn’t going to work, and he said turn right. And I looked over, and there was an airplane, which those of you on the righthand side, I thought it was a small airplane like the one you see at the airport right now doing touch and goes.

And he said turn right. I said there’s an airplane over there. And he says turn left. And then by the time we read back the clearance, looked over and saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us.

So given his speed, it was a military, I don’t know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us. I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it.

So sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise. This is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads up because the airport space does have radar, and nobody said, ‘Hey, there’s also a B-52 in the pattern.’

Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it and thank you for understanding. It was not a fun day at work. Have a nice evening and glad you’re safe.”

@azamora616

#plane#nearmiss#flight3788 @delta *sent to me by my sister . She was on the flight and made this recording *UPDATE* this was flight 3788 on 07/18/2025

♬ original sound – Andrea

Now, first things first: I have no idea why the pilot is apologizing. He just saved a bunch of lives, including his own, due to his quick thinking and skill. That pilot needs a vacation and an award. Nothing to be apologizing for there. (And naturally all the passengers clapped for him after his announcement, no doubt thankful to be safe on the ground).

But video from the ground also shows the near-miss, which occurred prior to a Bailey Zimmerman concert at the North Dakota State Fair.

The B-52 flyover was part of the festivities, which honored the city of Minot as a 2025 Great American Defense Community, recognizing the community’s support of the local military base. And while the video doesn’t show the “aggressive maneuver” from the passenger airplane, the Delta flight is visible shortly after the military aircraft passes overhead.

@theruralrose

We didn’t realize we watched an actual near collision. @delta @baileyzimmermanmusic #fairtimeisfuntime #fairtime

♬ original sound – Champion Show Banners

After the incident, both the FAA and SkyWest have announced that they are investigating the close call:

“We are aware of the recent reporting regarding commercial and Air Force aircraft operating in airspace around Minot International Airport. We are currently looking into the matter. We can confirm that a B-52 aircraft assigned to Minot AFB conducted a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair Friday evening.”

Luckily for all involved, and thanks to the quick thinking and skill of the Delta pilots, everybody got home safe – and the only show the fairgoers ended up seeing was from Bailey Zimmerman.The post Delta Pilot Narrowly Avoids Collision With B-52 Bomber Performing A Flyover Ahead Of Bailey Zimmerman Concert At North Dakota State Fair first appeared on Whiskey Riff.