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JetBlue Flight Dodges U.S. Military Plane After Near-Collision
(MENAFN) A commercial passenger jet came perilously close to colliding with a U.S. military aircraft over Venezuelan waters Friday, media outlets reported, citing radio transmissions and flight tracking records.
The near-miss unfolded against the backdrop of escalating U.S. naval presence throughout the Caribbean and President Donald Trump's warnings to attack "narcoterrorists" operating on Venezuelan territory.
JetBlue Flight 1112 reportedly came within striking distance of a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker while en route from Curaçao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela, to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Twenty minutes following departure, the commercial aircraft abruptly dropped altitude during its ascent. "We almost had a midair collision up here," the JetBlue pilot was quoted as saying. "They passed directly in our flight path ... They don't have their transponder turned on; it's outrageous."
JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski confirmed Sunday the airline had reported the incident to the authorities. "Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team," he said.
US Southern Command spokesman Colonel Manny Ortiz acknowledged they were "aware of the recent reporting regarding US military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter." He added that safety remained a top priority and that the military was "working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation."
Since September, U.S. forces have killed over 80 individuals in airstrikes targeting suspected cartel vessels, which Trump alleged were being utilized by Venezuela's government to "flood" America with narcotics.
Venezuelan authorities have denied any involvement in drug trafficking and characterized the strikes as components of a "colonialist" strategy to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro and seize the nation's natural resources.
The near-miss unfolded against the backdrop of escalating U.S. naval presence throughout the Caribbean and President Donald Trump's warnings to attack "narcoterrorists" operating on Venezuelan territory.
JetBlue Flight 1112 reportedly came within striking distance of a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker while en route from Curaçao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela, to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Twenty minutes following departure, the commercial aircraft abruptly dropped altitude during its ascent. "We almost had a midair collision up here," the JetBlue pilot was quoted as saying. "They passed directly in our flight path ... They don't have their transponder turned on; it's outrageous."
JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski confirmed Sunday the airline had reported the incident to the authorities. "Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team," he said.
US Southern Command spokesman Colonel Manny Ortiz acknowledged they were "aware of the recent reporting regarding US military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter." He added that safety remained a top priority and that the military was "working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation."
Since September, U.S. forces have killed over 80 individuals in airstrikes targeting suspected cartel vessels, which Trump alleged were being utilized by Venezuela's government to "flood" America with narcotics.
Venezuelan authorities have denied any involvement in drug trafficking and characterized the strikes as components of a "colonialist" strategy to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro and seize the nation's natural resources.
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