B-52 was on FAA-approved flight path before Delta regional jet near miss, Air Force says

The U.S. Air Force says the B-52 bomber that had a near miss with a Delta Airlines flight over North Dakota on Friday was flying an approved flight path at the time.

The Air Force released the statement on Monday, saying the Federal Aviation Administration was still investigating the incident. The B-52 bomber was in the air to conduct a flyover at the North Dakota State Fair, which had been pre-approved and planned in advance by the FAA.

The Air Force says the B-52 pilots were in contact with the Minot International Airport and the Minot Approach Control (RAPCON).

“At approximately 7:10 p.m. prior to the flyover, the B-52 crew contacted Minot Approach (RAPCON) to prepare for the flyover. Required checklists were completed, and the crew remained in contact with Minot Approach as it flew to its holding point 12 miles east of the fairgrounds. While holding, the B-52 crew communicated the flyover plan to both RAPCON and Minot International Airport’s air traffic control tower,” the Air Force said in a statement.

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“Minot Approach directed the B-52 crew at 7:43 p.m. to contact Minot International Airport’s air traffic control. The B-52 crew contacted Minot International Airport tower and the tower provided instructions to continue 2 miles westbound after the flyover. The tower did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft,” the statement continued.

The pilot of a SkyWest Airlines flight operated by Delta Air Lines performed an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a collision with the B-52. The pilot then explained the frightening incident to passengers in audio that went viral on social media.

The flight was carrying passengers from Minneapolis to Minot, N.D. The flight circled Minot International Airport several times before landing after the incident.

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The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is investigating the incident.

“SkyWest flight 3788, operating as Delta Connection from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Minot, North Dakota on July 18, landed safely in Minot after being cleared for approach by the tower but performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their flight path,” a spokesperson for SkyWest said in a statement to FOX Business.

“We are investigating the incident,” the spokesperson added.

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A video posted on social media appeared to include audio of the pilot explaining what happened to passengers.

“Given his speed … 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,” the pilot said in the video that has now gone viral.

“So sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise,” he continued. “This is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads-up, because the Air Force base does have radar … long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it, and thank you for understanding. Not a fun day at work.”

Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report