A New York-bound JetBlue flight had to halt its ascent Friday to avoid colliding with a US Air Force refueling tanker supporting the American military buildup near Venezuela, with the airline pilot calling his opposite number’s actions “outrageous.”
“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the pilot of JetBlue Flight 1112, bound for JFK Airport from Curacao, told local air traffic contorol, according to a recording of the conversation made public Sunday. “They passed directly in our flight path. … They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”
The pilot continued: “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. We had to stop our climb.”
“It has been outrageous with the unidentified aircraft within our air,” a controller responded to the JetBlue aircraft.
The incident took place after the US military has launched nearly two dozen strikes targeting suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that have killed more than 80 people, part of a pressure campaign to oust authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation,” said Derek Dombrowski, a spokesman for JetBlue. “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.”
The Federal Aviation Administration warned US aircraft last month to “exercise caution” when in Venezuelan airspace “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela.”
The Pentagon referred The Associated Press to the Air Force for comment. The Air Force didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Curacao, a Caribbean island controlled by The Netherlands, lies just 40 miles off the northern coast of Venezuela.
With Post wires
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