JetBlue plane narrowly avoids mid-air collision with US Air Force refueler near Venezuela

A potential tragedy was averted after a JetBlue flight halted its ascent to avoid mid-air collision with the United States Air Force (USAF) refueling tanker amid looming war against Venezuela.

The JetBlue pilot blamed the USAF, stating, “They passed directly in our flight path and their transponder was not turned on.”

In his conversation with Air Traffic Control, the pilot of flight 1112 from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao said, “It’s outrageous. We almost had a mid-air collision up here.”

The pilot continued that the fuel tanker was exactly the same altitude as the commercial flight, adding, “It came in front of us within five, maybe two or three miles. We had to stop our climb.”

The refueler then went into Venezuelan airspace.

It comes as the Trump administration has been increasing the U.S. military presence in the area for what they claim to be an “anti-drug campaign.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already issued a warning for airlines to exercise caution when using Venezuelan airspace.

JetBlue said that they reported the incident to federal authorities and will cooperate with any investigation, adding, “our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations.”

The Pentagon referred questions regarding the incident to the Air Force. The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.