A JetBlue Airways passenger aircraft operating the Curaçao–New York service experienced a mid-air collision risk with a US Air Force refuelling aircraft. It was reported that the military aircraft’s transponder was switched off and that it violated the civil flight route.
Pilot Reacted Over the Radio: “This Is an Absolute Scandal”
In radio communications reflected in flight control records, the JetBlue pilot expressed the danger experienced with the following words:
“We almost had a mid-air collision here just now. They came directly into our flight path. Their transponder wasn’t on — this is an absolute scandal.”
Dangerous Close Encounter at the Same Altitude
JetBlue flight 1112 had departed from Curaçao, a Caribbean country off the coast of Venezuela, and was en route to New York’s JFK Airport. The pilot reported that the military aircraft passed at the same altitude at a distance of 2 to 5 miles, forcing them to halt their climb.
Following the incident, it was reported that the US Air Force aircraft headed towards Venezuelan airspace.
No Official Statement from the Pentagon Yet
Regarding the incident, the Pentagon, which was asked for a statement, referred the matter to the US Air Force. However, no official statement has yet been made by military authorities. The incident has once again brought the coordination and safety protocols between civil and military air traffic into focus.
