Flight almost runs out of gas

Photo: Contributed

A discount flight between Las Vegas and Fargo, N.D., was left stranded in the air, low on fuel, after a Blue Angels’ practice run closed Fargo’s Hector International Airport temporarily.

Allegiant Air flight 426 was circling the North Dakota airport on July 23, requesting permission to land, when the air traffic controller told the pilot there wasn’t any room, due to the U.S. military aerobatic team's presence.

The flight had left Las Vegas an hour late and missed its slotted landing time in Fargo.

The controller told the pilot there would be an opening for the plane in “about 20 minutes for landing.”

“Yeah, I don’t have 20 minutes,” the pilot responded, according to an audio clip posted by The Telegraph of London.

The pilot said they would be in “bingo fuel,” meaning the minimum amount of fuel needed to land, in three or four minutes.

The air traffic controller suggested they attempt a landing at Grand Forks Airport, 110 kilometres to the north, but the pilot said they wouldn’t make it.

The pilot was forced to declare a state of emergency, allowing the airport to open up a free landing area for the airliner.

The controller told the pilot Allegiant Air’s dispatch should have known about the temporary closure due to the Blue Angels “for a number of months.”

The plane successfully landed and all passengers were safe.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.