""We almost had a midair collision up here," the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. "They passed directly in our flight path. ... They don't have their transponder turned on, it's 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. "We had to stop our climb." The pilot said the Air Force plane then headed into Venezuelan air space."
""We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation," Derek Dombrowski, a spokesman for JetBlue, said Sunday. He added, "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.""
A JetBlue flight from Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker while en route to JFK. The pilot reported the tanker passed directly in the flight path, lacked a transponder, and forced the crew to stop their climb. The pilot said the Air Force plane then headed into Venezuelan airspace. JetBlue reported the incident to federal authorities and said it will participate in any investigation, praising the crew for promptly reporting. The Pentagon referred inquiries to the Air Force, and the FAA recently warned U.S. aircraft to exercise caution near Venezuela amid heightened military activity.
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