A JetBlue airline plane narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with a US Air Force aircraft while traveling near Venezuela.
The incident occurred last Friday (12). According to multiple news outlets, the JetBlue pilot was forced to interrupt the climb of his plane when the US military aircraft entered its flight path.
JetBlue flight 1112 departed from the Caribbean island of Curaçao, heading towards New York’s JFK Airport. Curaçao is located very close to Venezuela, which is the airspace the military aircraft was heading to, according to ABC News.
“We almost had a collision up here. They passed directly into our flight path. They don’t have their transponder on, it’s outrageous,” the JetBlue pilot told air traffic control, according to a report by CNN.
“We just had traffic pass directly in front of us at 5 miles away — maybe 2 or 3 miles — but it was a US Air Force air-to-air refueling and he was at our altitude. We had to stop our climb.”
A JetBlue spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the incident had been reported to federal authorities, adding that they “will participate in any investigation.”
“Our crew members are trained in proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate that our crew promptly reported this situation to our leadership team,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, US Southern Command confirmed to ABC News that it was aware of the incident and was “reviewing the matter.”
“Safety remains a top priority, and we are working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation,” they said.
Photo: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
