A private jet narrowly avoided a midair collision with a United States Air Force refuelling tanker near Venezuela last weekend. Radio transmissions reviewed by CNN revealed details of the incident, which happened just one day after a similar near-miss was reported in the same area.
The latest encounter has raised fresh concerns about flight safety in airspace near Venezuela.
Pilots Report Incident to Air Traffic Control
Pilots flying a Falcon 900EX business jet from Aruba to Miami alerted air traffic controllers in Curaçao shortly after the incident on Saturday afternoon. The communication was captured by LiveATC.net.
According to the pilots, the near-collision occurred at an altitude of around 26,000 feet. The aircraft came alarmingly close to a large military plane.
“They were really close,” one of the pilots told controllers. “We were climbing right into him,” the unidentified pilot said, adding, “It was big, maybe a 777 or a (767).”
Second Near-Collision in a Week
The Saturday incident followed another serious aviation scare reported a day earlier. On Friday, pilots of JetBlue flight 1112, travelling from Curaçao to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, said they were forced to stop climbing suddenly.
They reported that a US Air Force aerial refuelling tanker crossed directly in front of their flight path. The tanker’s transponder was reportedly turned off at the time, making it harder for civilian aircraft to detect.
Authorities Review Earlier Incident
The Pentagon and Dutch aviation authorities said they are reviewing the JetBlue incident. Both sides are assessing what went wrong and whether procedures were followed.
In a statement to CNN, the United States Southern Command said it was “aware of the recent reporting regarding US military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and (is) currently reviewing the matter.”
FAA Warns Airlines of Increased Military Activity
Last month, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued an advisory to American airlines. The warning highlighted increased military activity near Venezuela at all flight levels. The FAA repeated the advisory again on Tuesday.
“Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground,” the FAA said.
The advisory urged airlines to exercise caution when operating in and around the region.
Airlines Suspend Flights to Venezuela
Following the FAA warning, several international airlines cancelled or suspended flights to and from Venezuela due to safety concerns.
On Tuesday, Copa Airlines announced it would extend the suspension of its flights to and from Caracas until January 15. The airline cited “operational conditions at Maiquetía International Airport” as the reason for the continued halt.
The recent near-collisions have further intensified scrutiny of air safety in the region.