Pilot Reassures Passengers After ‘Aggressive’ Move to Avoid Mid-Air Collision

A pilot reassured his terrified plane passengers that all was well after he made an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a mid-air collision with another aircraft. 

In a viral TikTok uploaded on Saturday, July 19, the pilot told travelers that he made the unexpected move during the flight from Minneapolis to Minot, N.D., due to unclear air traffic control instructions as a military airplane flew nearby.

“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 explained in the video. 

He then claimed that he was directed to “report about six miles from the airport” and was instructed to make a specific turn.

But when he saw the other aircraft, and told the comptroller, “There’s an airplane over there,” the pilot said he was told to instead 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,” he continued.

The pilot then apologized for the sudden movement of the aircraft, telling plane passengers, “So sorry about the aggressive maneuver.”

“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. And nobody said, ‘Hey, there’s also a B52 in the pattern.’ ”

“Long story short, it was not fun,” added the pilot. “I apologize for it.”

The TikTok user explained in the caption of her post that the video was captured by her sister on a flight that took place on July 18. 

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Skywest Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Sunday, July 20.

“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 the airline said.

The incident is currently being investigated.