JetBlue flight near Venezuela avoids ‘midair collision’ with US Air Force tanker

A JetBlue flight from Curaçao was forced to halt its ascent on Friday to avoid a potential collision with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker, according to air traffic control recordings in which the commercial pilot expressed strong concerns about the military aircraft’s operations.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot reported to air traffic controllers in a recorded exchange. “They passed directly in our flight path… They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

The incident involved JetBlue Flight 1112, which was traveling from Curaçao to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The small Caribbean nation sits just north of Venezuela’s coast in a region that has recently seen increased U.S. military presence.

According to the pilot’s account, the military aircraft came dangerously close to the commercial airliner. “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 explained. “We had to stop our climb.”

The pilot further claimed that after the near-miss, the Air Force plane proceeded into Venezuelan airspace.

JetBlue spokesperson Derek Dombrowski confirmed on Sunday that the airline is taking the incident seriously. “We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation,” Dombrowski stated. He added that JetBlue crews receive training for various flight situations and commended the flight crew for promptly reporting the incident to leadership.

When contacted for comment, the Pentagon redirected inquiries to the Air Force, which has not yet responded to requests for information about the incident.

The near-collision raises significant safety concerns about military and civilian aircraft operations in the Caribbean region. Commercial airliners typically operate with functioning transponders that broadcast their position, altitude, and identification to air traffic control systems and other aircraft. The JetBlue pilot’s claim that the military aircraft was operating without an active transponder, if accurate, would represent a serious deviation from standard safety protocols in shared airspace.

This incident occurs against the backdrop of increased U.S. military activities in the Caribbean, particularly related to drug interdiction efforts. The U.S. has also been applying diplomatic and economic pressure on Venezuela’s government under Nicolás Maduro. In April 2020, the Trump administration announced an enhanced counter-narcotics operation in the Caribbean, deploying additional naval assets to the region.

Aviation safety experts note that proper coordination between military and civilian flight operations is crucial to prevent such near-misses. Military aircraft sometimes operate under different protocols than commercial flights, particularly during training or operational missions, but are generally expected to maintain communication with air traffic control when sharing airspace with civilian aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) typically investigate such incidents to determine causes and recommend safety improvements. Neither agency has yet issued a public statement about this specific event.

For travelers, the incident highlights the complex coordination required to maintain safety in increasingly crowded skies, even in regions that might seem relatively remote. Curaçao, while a popular tourist destination, is not among the Caribbean’s busiest aviation hubs, yet still serves as an important link in international air travel networks.

The investigation will likely examine communications between military operations and civilian air traffic control, transponder usage policies, and coordination protocols in the region.