JetBlue Reports ‘Outrageous’ Near Miss With Air Force Tanker

A JetBlue flight departing from the Caribbean island of Curaçao was forced to halt its climb on Friday after coming dangerously close to a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker, according to the airline and air traffic control recordings.

The JetBlue pilot reported that the military aircraft crossed directly into the commercial jet’s flight path, creating what he described as a near midair collision. “We almost had a midair collision up here,” the pilot told air traffic control, according to a recording obtained by the Associated Press. He added that the Air Force aircraft did not have its transponder turned on, calling the situation “outrageous.”

JetBlue Flight 1112 was traveling from Curaçao, located just off the coast of Venezuela, to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The pilot told controllers that the tanker passed within an estimated two to three miles of the aircraft at the same altitude, forcing the JetBlue crew to stop their ascent. He also said the military plane later headed toward Venezuelan airspace.

U.S. military activity has increased in the region as part of efforts to disrupt illegal drug trafficking and apply pressure on Venezuela’s government. Last month, President Trump said U.S. airlines should consider avoiding Venezuelan airspace.

Air traffic controllers acknowledged the incident, with one controller saying it had been “outrageous” dealing with unidentified aircraft in the area. Because the Air Force tanker’s transponder was turned off, it would not have appeared on JetBlue’s collision-avoidance system or on airport radar screens, according to aviation experts cited by Simply Flying.

JetBlue said it has reported the incident to federal authorities and will cooperate with any investigation. The Pentagon and the U.S. Air Force did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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