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A JetBlue Airways pilot over the weekend said he narrowly avoided a midair collision with a U.S. Air Force plane near Venezuela, several outlets reported.
The incident, the Associated Press reported, occurred on Friday just off the coast of Venezuela and involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curaçao en route to New York.
“We just had traffic pass directly in front of us within 5 miles of us — 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,” the pilot reportedly said. “We had to stop our climb.”
According to the pilot, the U.S. Air Force plane then headed into Venezuelan air space.
CBS News reported on Sunday that the JetBlue pilot is heard saying “We almost had a midair collision up here” on a recorded conversation with air traffic control.
“They passed directly in our flight path. … They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous,” the pilot said.
CBS News, citing tracking site FlightRadar2, said that it is “unclear” how close the planes got as the U.S. aircraft was “flying without its transponder on.”
In a statement to CBS News, an Air Force spokesperson said the military branch is aware of the incident and is currently reviewing the matter.
“Military aircrews are highly trained professionals who operate in accordance with established procedures and applicable airspace requirements,” an Air Force spokesperson told CBS News. “Safety remains a top priority, and we are working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation.”
“We are aware of the recent reporting regarding U.S. military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter,” United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) told ABC News through a statement.
“Military aircrews are highly trained professionals who operate in accordance with established procedures and applicable airspace requirements. Safety remains a top priority, and we are working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation,” the statement reportedly continued.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration warned all pilots to “exercise caution” when flying over Venezuelan airspace “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity” amid rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela over the ongoing U.S. military actions against drug traffickers operating in the Caribbean.
Several international airlines complied with the warning and temporarily suspended their flight routes to Caracas — in response, the socialist Maduro regime demanded that the airlines immediately resumed their flights, and had six of them banned from operating in the country after they failed to comply with the regime’s demands.
Hours later, President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the airspace around Venezuela should be considered closed.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,” President Trump’s message read.
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