JetBlue Pilot Decries Near Collision With U.S. Military Aircraft

UNITED STATES & VENEZUELA – United States officials are reviewing a near midair collision between a JetBlue passenger plane and a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker near Venezuela.

The JetBlue flight, traveling from Curaçao to New York’s JFK Airport, had to halt its climb to avoid the military aircraft, which did not have its transponder turned on.

A pilot can be heard on a recording saying the Air Force plane passed directly in their flight path, just miles away, at the same altitude.

The U.S. Air Force says it is aware of the incident and is reviewing what happened, as the Federal Aviation Administration has already warned U.S. aircraft to use caution in and around Venezuelan airspace due to heightened military activity.