U.S. Southern Command is reviewing an incident in which a JetBlue flight and a U.S. Air Force aircraft almost collided midair near Venezuela on Friday, according to air traffic control audio.
In a statement, U.S. Southern Command said military aircrews "are highly trained professionals who operate in accordance with established procedures and applicable airspace requirements."
"Safety remains a top priority, and we are working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation," U.S. Southern Command spokesperson Colonel Manny Ortiz said.
The JetBlue flight was traveling from Curaçao off the coast of Venezuela to New York City when a pilot spotted the Air Force tanker. U.S. Southern Command operates in this region amid a rise in tension between Venezuela and the U.S., with the Trump administration conducting strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.
In a statement, JetBlue said the flight crew promptly reported the incident to leadership.
“We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation," the airline said in the statement.
Air traffic control audio documents the moment the JetBlue pilot reported that the military aircraft passed about 2 to 5 miles in front of the plane.
"They passed directly in our flight path," the pilot said. "We had to stop our climb."
The pilot also said that the tanker did not have its transponder on. A transponder is an electric device that allows air traffic control to track an aircraft accurately. One way transponders do that is by squawking, or sending a code to air traffic control to identify itself and provide information, like altitude.
A squawk code was not used during Friday's incident. There are times when squawk is not used to communicate aircraft information, like during military operations.
"It’s outrageous," the pilot said.
According to a U.S. official familiar with the incident, the tanker was within approved range of the JetBlue flight, and it's not uncommon for military aircraft to fly with their transponders off.
Sometimes aircraft do not communicate with each other while operating in the same airspace because not one agency is primary over the airspace, meaning military and commercial flights can happen concurrently. Both the military and the Federal Aviation Administration could be following rules correctly and still have an incident like this occur.
The incident is still being reviewed, according to an official familiar with the incident.
