JetBlue flight narrowly avoids collision with US Military Aircraft 

Curaçao: JetBlue Flight 1112 narrowly avoided a midair collision with a US Air Force refueling aircraft near Venezuelan airspace on Friday, forcing the commercial jet to stop its climb.

The JetBlue aircraft Flight 1112 had departed from Hato International Airport in Curaçao and was heading for New York JFK when it narrowly avoided the  potentially catastrophic air-safety incident with a US military tanker that occurred over the southern Caribbean on Friday, December 12.

“It’s absurd… there was almost a mid-air collision,” the pilots of the JetBlue Airbus A320, registered N809JB called the incident an almost a midair collision as it happened as the aircraft was climbing through the low 30,000-foot range about 25 minutes after departure.

When the crew suddenly saw a large aerial refueling aircraft cross directly in front of them at roughly the same altitude. Triggering the pilots to quickly respond and stop their climb, keeping the jet at a level that can maintain separation with the U.S. military aircraft that was heading towards Venezuelan airspace.

Air-ground recordings from Curaçao air traffic control capture one of the JetBlue pilots reporting traffic “two or three miles” ahead, describing the aircraft as a US Air Force air-to-air refueller at their level and saying they had to take defensive action to avoid it.

The crew told controllers the tanker was “not painting” on their cockpit displays, and Curaçao ATC replied that nothing showed on their radar either an indication the military jet was likely flying with its transponder off.

While it was reportedly conducting operations near the Venezuelan coast as part of Operation Southern Spear, making it far less visible to civilian traffic-monitoring systems.

In the same exchange, the JetBlue pilot can be heard calling the situation “outrageous” and saying they would file a report.

The JetBlue Airbus reportedly later continued on their route to New York City, where they safely landed at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with no passenger or crew injuries reported.

Derek Dombrowski, a spokesperson for JetBlue, said on Sunday that they have reported the incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation. He added that the JetBlue crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and they appreciate the crew for promptly reporting this situation to the leadership team.

Curaçao’s air navigation service provider has confirmed it is aware of the incident and says it will be formally investigated, while JetBlue is expected to report the case to the FAA.

The close call comes just weeks after Curaçao’s civil aviation authority warned pilots about unidentified aircraft operating around Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, and urged “extreme caution” on departures and arrivals in the area.

As U.S. military activity has been rising in Venezuela and the Caribbean. For passengers on Flight 1112 the scare ended with a routine arrival into JFK, but for controllers and safety officials it is a stark reminder of why transponders and visibility in shared airspace are non-negotiable when airliners and military traffic mix over busy international routes.