Last Updated:July 21, 2025, 09:24 IST

The pilot of the Delta Airlines jet blamed unclear air traffic control instructions for the close call and apologised to passengers for the sudden movement of the plane.

A Delta Air Lines regional jet narrowly avoided a tragic mishap recently as it was forced to make an “aggressive manoeuvre” to avoid a mid-air collision with a B-52 bomber in North Dakota last week, according to various media reports.

The incident took place on July 18 and is being investigated by SkyWest, which operated the flight. In a viral TikTok video that was uploaded on Saturday, the Delta pilot told passengers that he was forced to make a sudden detour to avoid colliding with a military plane flying nearby.

The plane had departed from Minneapolis and was on approach to Minot, North Dakota, home to an Air Force base with B-52 bombers, according to a report by ABC News. The pilot said unclear air traffic control instructions led to the close call.

“For those of you on the right-hand side, you probably saw the airplane kind of coming at us. Nobody told us about it, and so we continued. There’s no radar here, so the tower does everything visually,” the pilot told passengers in the video. He said he was directed to “report about six miles from the airport” and was instructed to make a specific turn, according to the PEOPLE magazine.

However, when he saw the approaching military aircraft, he told air traffic control, “There’s an airplane over there” and was told to turn in the opposite direction. “By the time we went back to clearance with nowhere, I saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us.”

The pilot apologised for the sudden movement of the aircraft, saying, “So sorry about the aggressive manoeuvre.”

“It caught me by surprise. This is not normal at all,” he continued. “I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads-up, because the airport base does have radar.” Meanwhile, passengers on the plane also witnessed the approaching B-52 bomber on one side of the aircraft.

Despite the close call, passengers were reportedly calm. “I felt like I was gaslighting myself, like maybe I was being crazy, because no one else was reacting,” said Monica Green, one of the passengers.

“The way he (pilot) said it, it almost sounded like he was insinuating that landing safely might not be an option for a moment. We all just kind of looked at each other and stayed quiet.”

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Location :

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published:

Alaska Airlines ALK has requested a ground stop for all its mainline aircraft, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) status page said on Sunday.

The reason for the request was not immediately clear.

Alaska Airlines and the FAA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours.

The FAA status page showed all destinations being impacted by the ground stop of Alaska’s mainline aircraft.

NEW DELHI – Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Sunday hit out at the Western media for their speculative coverage of the probe into the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 260 lives, saying that making any comments until the final report comes is not a good exercise for anyone.

The minister said that the Union government would wait for the final report on the investigation into the tragic Air India Boeing crash before making any comments.

He reiterated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had made an appeal to all, especially Western media houses who may have vested interest, referring to some misleading articles being published in relation to the unfortunate AI171 plane crash. “I believe in AAIB. They have done a wonderful job in decoding the whole black box and getting the data out in India itself,” the minister said.

“It was a huge success for us because in previous incidents, whenever the black box was seen to be damaged, it was always sent abroad to get the data out. But this is the first time that AAIB has successfully decoded everything. The preliminary report has also been prepared,” Naidu said.

The minister stated that making any comments until the final report comes is not a good exercise for anyone. The government is being very cautious and studying the report thoroughly, and whatever necessary steps are required in terms of safety would be implemented, he added.

“Regarding the incident and investigation, we have to wait for the final report before we say anything,” the minister said.

“Making any comments until the final report comes out is not a good exercise… There is no point in jumping to conclusions at this point,” the minister told reporters after launching IndiGo’s flight operations from Hindon Airport.

“AAIB has made an appeal to all, especially Western media houses, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish,” he said.

Earlier this week, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India issued a strong appeal to the public and media, raising concerns about “selective and unverified reporting” by certain international outlets in the aftermath of the ill-fated Air India 171 crash that took the lives of 260 people.

The AAIB, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, reaffirmed that the investigation into the Air India crash is being conducted in a “rigorous and most professional manner in accordance with the AAIB Rules and international protocols.” The Bureau cautioned that the high-profile nature of the tragedy has “drawn public attention and shock,” but emphasised, “it needs to be appreciated that this is not the time to create public anxiety or angst towards the safety of the Indian Aviation Industry, particularly on the basis of unfounded facts.”

The remarks come amid heightened global scrutiny following reports in international media. A Wall Street Journal report, cited by Reuters, suggests that cockpit voice recordings indicate the captain may have turned off the fuel control switches shortly after takeoff, which prompted confusion and panic in the cockpit.

The AAIB cautioned against drawing premature conclusions or circulating unverified information, particularly by sections of the international media, which they said risked undermining the integrity of the investigation.

The AAIB letter read, “It is essential to respect the sensitivity of the loss faced by family members of deceased passengers, crew of the aircraft and other deceased persons on the ground. It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing. We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process.”

The report that attributed its information to individuals familiar with the US side of the probe has raised fresh concerns over pilot actions and aircraft systems, but remains unverified by Indian authorities.

The appeal from the AAIB states, “AAIB works in accordance with the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, and is responsible for fulfilling the obligations of the Government of India towards ICAO Annex 13. AAIB has a flawless record in investigating 92 Accidents and 111 Serious incidents since its inception in 2012.”

It continues, “Even now, apart from investigating the ill-fated Air India’s B787-8 aircraft VT-ANB, several other accidents and serious incidents are under investigation. The VT-ANB accident has been the most devastating accident in recent aviation history, and the investigation is being undertaken in a rigorous and professional manner in accordance with the AAIB Rules and international protocols. While the accident of this dimension has drawn public attention and shock, however, it needs to be appreciated that this is not the time to create public anxiety or angst towards safety of the Indian Aviation Industry, particularly on the basis of unfounded facts.”

The Bureau reiterated that the objective of its investigation and preliminary report is to state “WHAT happened.” It clarified that at this stage, “it is too early to reach any definite conclusions,” and the final report will be published only after the investigation is complete, including the identification of “root causes and recommendations.”

The AAIB appealed to all concerned to wait for the publication of the Final Investigation Report after completion of the Investigation. AAIB will also publish updates as and when required, which have technical and public interest.