On Friday, December 12, a JetBlue Airways flight nearly collided with a U.S. Air Force aerial refueling aircraft over the Caribbean Sea shortly after takeoff from the Caribbean island of Curacao. The crew had to abruptly halt their ascent to avoid the dangerous situation.
According to a report from The Guardian on Sunday, the JetBlue Flight 1112 was originally bound for John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City but encountered the incident during its climb near Venezuelan airspace.
In a recorded conversation between the pilot and air traffic control (ATC) obtained by the media at the time of the incident, the pilot of the aircraft stated, “We almost had a midair collision here. They crossed directly in our flight path… They did not turn on their transponder, this is outrageous.” “We had to stop our climb.”
The pilot further described that the military refueling aircraft was only 2 to 3 miles away at the same altitude, then proceeded to fly northeast and entered Venezuelan airspace.
The potentially hazardous aircraft was a JetBlue Airbus A320-200, with a capacity of up to 150 passengers. The flight took off from Willemstad in Curacao at 4:38 p.m. local time and the incident occurred approximately 25 minutes into the flight.
The Curacao air traffic control center confirmed that the military refueling aircraft did not appear on their radar screen. Due to its transponder being turned off, the aircraft also did not show up on JetBlue’s Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). The system relies on nearby aircraft’s transponder signals to alert of potential collisions.
JetBlue spokesperson Derek Dombrowski stated on Sunday, “We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will be participating in the investigation.”
He added, “Our crew members are trained on how to handle various flight situations, and we appreciate the crew’s prompt response and reporting of the situation to our leadership team.”
The Pentagon will be requesting a response from the U.S. Air Force regarding the incident, but the U.S. Air Force has not immediately responded.
This incident has raised concerns about military aircraft operating frequently in commercial flight airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States is likely to initiate a formal investigation into the matter.
In recent weeks, the U.S. military has intensified its operations around Venezuela, including a series of missions targeting drug-carrying vessels. As military aircraft often need to turn off their transponders for stealth flights, this poses challenges for air traffic controllers in the region.
The FAA had issued a warning to U.S. airlines last month, urging caution in Venezuelan airspace due to deteriorating security conditions and increased military activities within or near Venezuelan territory.
The aviation regulatory authority in Curacao had also issued warnings about the potential presence of unidentified aircraft in the region, cautioning about the danger of aircraft hidden on radars or not easily identifiable.
As a result of these concerns, most commercial flights have now been rerouted to avoid Venezuelan airspace.