National Defense

JetBlue Pilot Claims Plane Nearly Collided With US Air Force Tanker Near Venezuela

Image not from story. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Deseree Kamm)

A JetBlue Airways flight nearly collided Friday with a U.S. Air Force tanker off the coast of Venezuela, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

JetBlue Flight 1112, bound for New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, departed from Curaçao, a small Caribbean island country part of the Netherlands located about 40 miles from Venezuela, AP reported. The flight’s pilot appeared to place blame for the close call on the U.S. military aircraft, telling air traffic controllers it was “outrageous” that the tanker had entered the civilian plane’s trajectory without warning.

“They passed directly in our flight path. … They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous,” Flight 1112’s pilot told air traffic control, according to AP. A transponder is an electronic device which helps air traffic controllers identify and track aircraft and maintain safe separation between planes.

The pilot specified in his transmission the tanker was a U.S. Air Force “air-to air-refueler” which passed about two or three miles in front of the JetBlue flight just before it entered Venezuelan air space, the outlet reported.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the pilot added, according to AP.

“Safety is our top priority. 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,” JetBlue Corporate Communications said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF). “We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation.”

The U.S. military in recent months has greatly increased its presence in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela’s northern coast. The Trump administration’s Department of War (DOW) has carried out nearly two dozen strikes on boats in the area alleged to be trafficking harmful drugs, killing at least 87 people since early September.

The DOW announced Nov. 13 the launch of Operation Southern Spear to remove alleged narco-terrorists from the Western Hemisphere. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean days earlier after being ordered by the Pentagon to deploy to the region.

The U.S. seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast Wednesday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the following day the tanker was “a sanctioned shadow vessel known for carrying black-market oil” for the Iranian military.

The U.S. Air Force did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.