JetBlue avoids midair collision with US Air Force tanker near Venezuela

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curacao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US Air Force refuelling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

We almost had a midair collision up here, the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. They passed directly in our flight path. ... They don't have their transponder turned on, it's outrageous.

The incident involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curacao, which is just off the coast of Venezuela, en route to New York City's JFK airport. It comes as the US military has stepped up its drug interdiction activities in the Caribbean and is also seeking to increase pressure on Venezuela's government.

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-refueller from the United States Air Force and he was at our altitude, the pilot said. We had to stop our climb. The pilot said the Air Force plane then headed into Venezuelan air space.

Derek Dombrowski, a spokesman for JetBlue, said Sunday: We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation." He added, 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.

The Pentagon referred The Associated Press to the Air Force for comment. The Air Force didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.