A pilot was fuming Monday after avoiding a near-collision midair with a military plane while President Donald Trump accelerated the pressure in the Caribbean.
A JetBlue pilot leaving the island of Curaçao for New York told air traffic controllers he had to change elevation after nearly crashing into a U.S. Air Force plane in the south Caribbean, The Washington Post reported.
“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said in audio reviewed by The Post.
The military aircraft apparently “passed directly in our flight path,” the pilot said, who described how the military refueler did not identify its presence with a GPS transponder.
“We had to stop our climb,” the pilot said. “They don’t have their transponder turned on; it’s outrageous.”
The pilot said the aircraft was not sharing its location and was about 10 miles away — the altitude was unknown.
“We’ll do a report on our end, too, but they did not have their transponder turned on so there’s no way for you to have seen them,” the pilot said.
“Yes please, make your report so at least in that case you can get your authorities to be investigating that,” the controller told the pilot.
JetBlue has filed a report to the administration.
“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,” according to a company statement.
The U.S. military has ramped up its operations off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks as part of a broader strategy to pressure the government of Nicolás Maduro and support opposition forces seeking regime change. This military buildup includes increased patrols, naval exercises and the deployment of additional resources in the Caribbean, reflecting the Trump administration's confrontational approach to Venezuelan politics and its stated goal of countering what it characterizes as authoritarian governance and narcotics trafficking from the country.