Airline officials and the United States military pledge to investigate if necessary a near “midair collision” that reportedly occurred off the Venezuelan coast last Friday.
A JetBlue aircraft (Flight 1112) traveling from the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Dec. 12 nearly collided with a U.S. military plane in proximity to Venezuelan airspace. There has been a forceful U.S. presence in the region since Sept. 2 as boat strikes against alleged narcotics traffickers have remained consistent.
Audio communication retained from air traffic control (ATC) flight recordings from within the aircraft and with air traffic controllers reportedly relayed the JetBlue pilot’s concern, who said, “We almost had a midair collision up here.” The military aircraft was an Air Force refueling tanker that purportedly crossed paths with the commercial aircraft, according to recordings cited by CNN and ABC News.
A ‘Safety’ Priority
JetBlue and U.S. military officials have pledged caution and said the situation will be remedied, via investigation or otherwise.
“Safety is our top priority,” a JetBlue spokesperson told Military.com on Monday. “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. We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation.”
The Pentagon referred Military.com to U.S. Southern Command, which provided Military.com the following statement: “We are aware of the recent reporting regarding U.S. military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter.”
“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 added.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson said the situation was under the guise of the Curaçao Civil Aviation Authority. Military.com reached out to them for comment.
What Happened In The Air
The JetBlue pilot overseeing the flight in question reportedly accused the U.S. military aircraft of “passing directly in our flight path,” according to audio recordings of the incident attained by CNN and other media outlets. The pilot claimed that the opposing craft did not have its transponder turned on, calling it “outrageous.”
“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 said in the recording. “We had to stop our climb.”
“We are working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation.”
The pilot said that following the near-collision the Air Force plane proceeded to head into Venezuelan air space.
While the FAA does not oversee air traffic overseas, it did issue a warning in November advising pilots to exercise “extreme caution…due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela.
The risk warning was targeted to “aircraft at all altitudes,” including those in-flight and before and during arrivals and departures.
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