SkyWest Flight Avoids Collision with B-52 Bomber Over North Dakota

Near-Collision Incident

• ✈️ A Delta flight operated by SkyWest Airlines experienced a harrowing moment while descending into North Dakota.
• ⚠️ The pilot reported narrowly avoiding a collision with another aircraft, an Air Force B-52 bomber.
• 🎙️ The pilot apologized to the 80 passengers on board for the aggressive evasive maneuver, stating it was unexpected.

Aircraft and Location Details

• 🎯 The B-52 bomber was reportedly conducting a flyover of the North Dakota State Fair.
• 📍 The fairgrounds are in the same general area as the approach path for the Minot airport, creating a potential proximity issue.
• ❓ The exact distance between the two aircraft at the time of the incident is still under investigation.

Investigation and Safety Measures

• 🔍 The FAA and the Air Force have confirmed they are investigating the incident.
• 🚦 The SkyWest flight had been cleared for approach by the tower before spotting the other plane and initiating a go-around.
• ✅ The flight ultimately landed safely at its destination.

Alaska Airlines IT Outage Impact

• 💻 Alaska Airlines experienced a significant IT outage due to a hardware failure in their data center.
• 🚫 This outage led to a ground stop for Alaska and Horizon planes, resulting in approximately 150 cancellations since Sunday night.
• 🔄 The airline is working to reposition planes and crews to normalize operations, with disruptions expected to continue, particularly in the first half of the day.