JetBlue Flight narrowly misses midair collision with US Air Force refueling tanker

Caribbean: A JetBlue flight from Curacao to New York narrowly avoided a midair collision with a US Air Force refueling tanker in the skies of the Caribbean on Friday. The pilot of the airline criticized and blamed the military plane for crossing their path and negligent behaviour towards the safety of the passengers in the flight.

The JetBlue pilot had a conversation with air traffic control and cited, “We almost had a midair collision up here.” He called it outrageous and said that the military plane passed directly in their flight path and they didn't have their transponder turned on which was not nice.

The flight of JetBlue 1112 which departed Curacao on Friday evening and reached off the coast of Venezuela where the incident took place. The plane was en route to New York and the authorities of the airline stressed that the military plane could have caused a major accident in the Caribbean air.

“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.

He further continued that due to their sudden appearance in their territory, the flight had to stop their climb. Due to this, the air force plane then headed into Venezuelan air space and the flight of JetBlue narrowly missed the deadly collision.

Notably, the United States military has increased its drug interdiction activities in the Caribbean due to which, they were seen in the air of the region. The main purpose of the activities is to increase pressure on the government of Venezuela.

The JetBlue authorities outlined that they have reported this incident to federal authorities and will also participate in any investigation. Spokesperson of the airline, Derek Dombrowski, issued the statement on the incident and lauded his crew members for their prompt response to the situation.

He said, “We have trained our employees with proper procedures for various flight situations and appreciate our crew for their swift action which has saved the lives of the passengers.”