Virginia Tech aerospace engineer explains near collision of aircraft in North Dakota

Just months after a deadly collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet in Washington, D.C., the FAA is investigating another serious aviation incident in North Dakota.

On July 18, a SkyWest commercial airliner narrowly avoided a collision with a U.S. Air Force B-52 jet. Virginia Tech aerospace engineer Ella Atkins weighed in on the close call and pointed to several concerning factors.

“It appears the Minot airport did not have radar, and the nearby Air Force base isn’t yet sharing its radar data publicly. The SkyWest plane would have been equipped with a collision avoidance warning system, but if the B-52 was not broadcasting its location, this system may not have detected it,” Atkins said.

Atkins, a long-time advocate for using artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance flight safety, acknowledges a lack of public trust in the technology. However, she believes that existing broadcast systems can help avoid near-calamities like what happened in North Dakota. For instance, most aircraft are equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance—Broadcast, which shares an aircraft’s position using GPS and other onboard systems.

“Although the SkyWest result was far better than the accident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January, both incidents raise the question of whether military aircraft not facing an immediate threat should be required to carry Automatic Dependent Surveillance—Broadcast,” she said.

Atkins, a licensed private pilot, is head of the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her research centers on the investigation of airspace and aircraft autonomy and safety.