By Sodiq Oluwaremilekun

A JetBlue Airways pilot said the crew narrowly avoided a midair collision with a U.S. military aircraft after it entered their flight path while the JetBlue plane was climbing shortly after takeoff from Curaçao on Friday, according to the airline and air traffic control recordings.

Curaçao is a Dutch Caribbean island located near Venezuela. In recordings, the JetBlue pilot is heard telling air traffic control that they had to stop their climb after a U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft crossed directly in front of them at the same altitude and within five miles of the JetBlue plane.

The pilot said the military aircraft was flying toward Venezuelan airspace, and the air traffic controller noted that they could not see the aircraft on their radar because its transponder was turned off and it was not transmitting its position.

According to air traffic control recordings, the pilot said, “We almost had a midair collision up here. They passed directly through our flight path. They don’t have their transponder turned on it’s outrageous.”

JetBlue Flight 1112 was en route to New York City’s JFK Airport at the time of the incident.
In a statement to Newsmen, U.S. Southern Command said, “We are aware of recent reports regarding U.S. military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter.”

A NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) is in effect in and around Curaçao’s airspace until the end of the month, warning pilots to exercise “extreme caution” after pilot reports and primary radar detected the presence of “unidentified aircraft operations.”

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