WASHINGTON – In a dramatic aviation event on Friday, a JetBlue flight originating from the Caribbean island of Curaçao was forced to suddenly halt its climb to avoid a potential midair collision with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker. The JetBlue pilot later attributed the close call to the military aircraft’s unexpected path crossing.

According to recorded air traffic communications, the JetBlue pilot expressed clear frustration, stating, “We almost had a midair collision up here. They passed directly in our flight path… They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

The flight in question, JetBlue Flight 1112, was traveling from Curaçao, located just off Venezuela’s coast, to New York City’s JFK airport. This incident occurred amidst heightened U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, aimed at intensifying drug interdiction efforts and increasing pressure on the Venezuelan government.

The pilot detailed the near-miss, reporting, “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 refueler from the United States Air Force and he was at our altitude. We had to stop our climb.” Following the encounter, the military aircraft was observed entering Venezuelan airspace.

JetBlue spokesperson Derek Dombrowski confirmed on Sunday that the incident has been reported to federal authorities, with the airline prepared to cooperate in any ensuing investigations. “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,” Dombrowski added.

The Pentagon, when approached, directed inquiries to the Air Force, which has yet to provide a response or comment on the matter.

The Federal Aviation Administration last month issued a warning to U.S. aircraft urging them to “exercise caution” when in Venezuelan airspace, “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela.”

According to the air traffic recording, the controller responded to the pilot, “It has been outrageous with the unidentified aircraft within our air.”

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Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.