WASHINGTON — A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curacao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.
“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path. … They don’t have their transponder turned on. It’s outrageous.”
The incident Friday involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curacao, which is just off the coast of Venezuela, en route to New York City’s Kennedy International Airport. It comes as the U.S. military has stepped up its activities in the Caribbean, including lethal strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats. The military presence is also aimed at increasing pressure on Venezuela’s government.
“We just had traffic pass directly in front of us within five miles of us — maybe two or three miles — but it was an air-to-air refueler from the United States Air Force and he was at our altitude,” the pilot said. “We had to stop our climb.” The pilot said the Air Force plane then headed into Venezuelan airspace.
Derek Dombrowski, a spokesman for JetBlue, said Sunday, “We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation.”
He added: “Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team.”
The Pentagon referred the Associated Press to the Air Force for comment. The Air Force didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Federal Aviation Administration last month issued a warning to U.S. aircraft urging them to “exercise caution” when in Venezuelan airspace, “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela.”
According to the air traffic recording, the controller responded to the pilot, saying, “It has been outrageous with the unidentified aircraft within our air.”
Rugaber writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.
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