WASHINGTON — A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean country of Curacao stopped its climb to avoid a collision with a US Air Force tanker on Friday, and the pilot accused the military jet of crossing his path.
“We almost collided here in the air,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They flew right into our flight path… They don't have a transponder on, it's outrageous.”
The incident occurred on JetBlue Flight 1112 en route from Curacao, off the coast of Venezuela, to JFK Airport in New York. This comes as the US military has stepped up its drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean and is also seeking increase pressure about the government of Venezuela.
“We just missed a vehicle right in front of us within 5 miles of us – maybe 2 or 3 miles – but it was a US Air Force tanker aircraft and it was at our altitude,” the pilot said. “We had to stop climbing.” The pilot reported that the Air Force plane then headed into Venezuelan airspace.
Derek Dombrowski, a JetBlue spokesman, said Sunday: “We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation.” He added: “Our crew members are trained to respond appropriately to a variety of flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our management.”
The Pentagon referred The Associated Press to the Air Force for comment. The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning last month to US aircraft, urging them to “exercise caution” in Venezuelan airspace “due to the deteriorating security situation and increased military activity in or around Venezuela.”
According to the air traffic recording, the controller responded to the pilot: “It was outrageous to have an unidentified aircraft in our air.”
___
Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.
