A JetBlue pilot reported a frightening midair encounter on Friday, describing how his aircraft came perilously close to colliding with a United States Air Force plane during routine flight operations. According to the pilot’s account, the near-disaster unfolded while operating Flight 1112, which had departed from Curaçao, an autonomous Caribbean island within the Kingdom of the Netherlands located roughly 40 miles north of Venezuela, en route to New York City. Only twenty minutes after takeoff, as the aircraft climbed steadily toward its designated cruising altitude, the pilot urgently contacted Curaçao’s air traffic control center to report an unexpected and dangerous situation.
In an audio transmission later published by LiveATC.net, the pilot’s voice conveyed both tension and disbelief. He stated that another aircraft had traversed directly in front of the JetBlue jet at a disturbingly close distance, estimated between two and five miles, a range that in aviation terms leaves almost no margin for error. He went on to clarify that the unidentified aircraft was, in fact, an Air Force air-to-air refueling plane, a type of military tanker used to replenish other aircraft midflight. The JetBlue Airbus A320, climbing through 33,400 feet toward a planned altitude of 35,000 feet, found itself separated from the military aircraft by a vertical distance of only about 600 feet—an interval dangerously small for two jets traveling at high cruising speed in congested airspace.
Faced with the imminent threat of collision, the pilot explained that he immediately halted the plane’s ascent and initiated a brief descent maneuver to create a safer buffer. Though the crew successfully avoided contact, the experience clearly rattled him. Expressing his frustration, he remarked that the Air Force aircraft appeared to be flying without its transponder activated, a situation he deemed “outrageous.” The transponder, he implied, is not merely an operational convenience but a crucial safety component for situational awareness.
Air traffic control confirmed the anomaly, with the controller responding that the radar screen indeed displayed no signal corresponding to the nearby aircraft. Acknowledging the gravity of what had just occurred, the pilot requested that the event be officially recorded, declaring that they had narrowly averted a midair collision—one of the most dreaded scenarios in commercial aviation.
Transponders, technically referred to as secondary surveillance radar transmitters, play an indispensable role in modern air traffic management. They continuously emit identifying signals containing altitude, speed, and positional information, allowing both air traffic controllers and surrounding aircraft to track their location. Systems such as the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) rely on active transponders from neighboring planes to detect proximity threats and to issue resolution advisories—automated climb or descent instructions designed to prevent accidents. When a transponder is disabled, as sometimes occurs with military aircraft during classified or sensitive missions, the invisible safety net of mutual detection effectively disappears, leaving civilian pilots dependent solely on visual observation and air traffic coordination.
This incident occurred against a complex geopolitical backdrop in the Caribbean region. Recent months have seen increased U.S. military activity, including air operations targeting suspected narcotics trafficking vessels amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. The American defense presence nearby has grown considerably, with thousands of troops stationed in the area and the USS Gerald R. Ford—the world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier—deployed to project naval strength and support aerial missions.
To address potential risks in the regional airspace, aviation regulators issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on November 21, advising all pilots to exercise extreme caution when operating near Curaçao due to reported sightings of unidentified military aircraft. The advisory, which remains in force through the end of December, reflects official concern about erratic or uncoordinated aerial movements within the region. Later in November, then‑President Donald Trump emphasized the severity of the situation on Truth Social, warning civilian pilots to treat the entire airspace surrounding Venezuela as effectively restricted or closed for safety reasons.
Responding to media inquiries about the reported near‑miss, U.S. Southern Command—responsible for overseeing military operations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America—issued a statement to Business Insider acknowledging awareness of the reports. Officials confirmed that the matter was under active review, stressing that American military flight crews are highly trained professionals who adhere to strict operational procedures and airspace regulations. The command’s statement reaffirmed that ensuring safety, both for military and civilian aircraft, remains a paramount institutional priority and that internal channels were being employed to investigate and verify the circumstances of the encounter.
As of publication, JetBlue had not yet provided an official response to requests for comment submitted outside normal U.S. business hours. The event nevertheless reignited public and professional discussions about the rapidly evolving challenges of airspace coordination in politically sensitive regions, as well as the critical importance of maintaining reliable instrumentation and communication standards that safeguard countless lives in the skies each day.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/jetblue-plane-nearly-hit-air-force-plane-without-its-transponder-on-2025-12
