LISTEN: Delta Pilot casually tells passengers they just barely avoided getting smoked by a B-52 bomber mid-air

Just a normal day in the skies over North Dakota until your Delta pilot gets on the intercom and casually mentions that, oh by the way, he had to yank the plane sideways to avoid being turned into confetti by a B-52 bomber.

That’s what happened on SkyWest Flight 3788, operating as a Delta Connection from Minneapolis to Minot. The flight was cleared for approach, everything looked routine, and then suddenly there was a massive U.S. Air Force war machine in their path.

So the Delta pilot did what any quick-thinking regional jet captain would do — he pulled off an evasive maneuver and went around. No collision or no deaths. That’s a major plus, right? The pilot even got on the mic and explained exactly what happened.

LISTEN: Delta Pilot casually tells passengers they just barely avoided getting smoked by a B-52 bomber mid-air

@abcnews

“This is not normal at all.” A Delta regional jet on approach to Minot, North Dakota, made an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a mid-air collision with a B-52 bomber, according to the Delta pilot. Minot is home to an Air Force base with B-52 bombers. The flight, operated by SkyWest, had departed from Minneapolis. Once on the ground, the pilot apologized to passengers for the abrupt move and explained the situation. It’s unclear how close the two jets came from each other. #news #delta

♬ original sound – ABC News – ABC News

SkyWest confirmed the entire situation is under investigation. The Air Force hasn’t said much and the FAA continues to sit quietly in the corner like it’s none of their business, even though this kind of near-death stunt double flying seems to be happening a lot lately.

Flying Used To Be the Safe Thing, Remember?

Listen, I’ve always been team “Flying is safer than driving” and statistically, that’s still true but that belief starts to look a little shaky when every week there’s another headline about something fucked up happening on an airplane.

• Clipping wings on the runway
• Slamming into each other while taxiing
• Exploding into fireballs on takeoff
• Dancing in the clouds with Cold War bombers

Can we go back to the time when the only in-flight announcements were about your ETA, weather, and how to triple your frequent flyer points by signing up for some credit card? That’s the America we want, right?

Shoutout to the Delta Pilot

To be fair, this pilot deserves a promotion and maybe a standing ovation. He literally avoided death via B-52 and keep it cool enough to calmly explain the entire thing to his passengers. I thought that type of poise was only seen in the movies.

Paging Secretary Sean Duffy

Apparently our new Secretary of Transportation is Sean Duffy, a former congressman and reality TV star. Love that for us because if there’s one thing the modern air travel crisis needs, it’s someone with Real World: Boston on his resume.

Not to mention, I thought the Secretary of Transportation was going to get us some answers on all the drones that took over the skies last year but that turned out to be as big of a dud as the Epstein Files.

If Duffy is reading this (you’re not), do something about air traffic control. Just one month without a viral plane video. That’s the ask. That’s the bar. Let’s clear it brother. We got this. I think.

If you’re flying soon, don’t worry too much. Odds are still wildly in your favor. Maybe check your pilot’s résumé real quick… and if it says “recently dodged a bomber,” just smile and buckle up. You’re in good hands.

Join The Chase