On Friday, the pilot of a JetBlue flight reported narrowly avoiding a midair collision with a US Air Force refuelling plane over the Caribbean. The pilot said the military plane crossed right in front of his aircraft, without broadcasting its position.
“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control, CNN reported. “They passed directly in our flight path… They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”
JetBlue plane nearly collides with US Air Force tanker
The details of the flight have come to light. The near-miss involved JetBlue Flight 1112, which was travelling from Curaçao, a small island about 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela, to New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport. About twenty minutes after takeoff, the plane suddenly levelled off midclimb, according to flight tracking data.
The pilot later explained to air traffic control that he had to stop the plane from climbing to cruising altitude to avoid hitting the tanker. He said the Air Force plane was only two or three miles away, which is less than 20 seconds of flying time at its speed. It’s not clear whether the pilot saw the tanker visually or was alerted by the plane’s sensors.
The pilot said, “We just had traffic pass directly in front of us within 5 miles — maybe 2 or 3 miles — but it was an air-to-air refueler from the United States Air Force, and he was at our altitude. We had to stop our climb.” He also mentioned that the Air Force plane then went into Venezuelan airspace.
The air traffic controller in Curaçao told the pilot that the tanker was not visible on radar either. “There’s been outrageous unidentified aircraft within our airspace,” he said, suggesting this was part of a growing trend.
The next night, according to the NYT, controllers warned at least three other flights, including American Airlines and Delta, to watch for unidentified aircraft nearby. These warnings appeared to refer to planes flying without their transponders. Recordings of these transmissions were shared on LiveATC.net, a website that streams air traffic control radio.
JetBlue response
Derek Dombrowski, a JetBlue spokesperson, said on Sunday: “We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation. Our crewmembers are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team,” according to CNN.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned US aircraft to “exercise caution” when flying in Venezuelan airspace because of “the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela.”
Military build-up in the Caribbean
In recent weeks, the Caribbean skies have become busier as the US military has increased operations near Venezuela. Military planes are flying missions from Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, and from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford. Several Air Force tankers recently arrived in the Dominican Republic under an agreement allowing US forces to operate from the country to fight drug trafficking.
Since early September, the US has carried out airstrikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs. 80 people have died so far.