A JetBlue pilot reported a close to mid-air collision after departing the Caribbean… and it was with a US Air Drive jet!
JetBlue A320 encounters US Air Drive jet departing Curaçao
This incident occurred on Friday, December 12, 2025, and includes JetBlue flight B61112, flying from Curaçao (CUR) to New York (JFK). The flight was operated by an Airbus A320 with the license plate N809JB.
After a routine departure, the A320 was climbing by means of round 33,000 toes for its cruising altitude of 35,000 toes, when the crew noticed a US Air Drive tanker instantly forward of them, in shut proximity, and of their flight path.
The US Air Drive aircraft’s transponder wasn’t transmitting, so this was purely a visible discovery. The truth that they may inform precisely what sort of aircraft it was tells you ways shut they have been. Within the interplay between the JetBlue pilot and the air site visitors controller, the pilot makes the next feedback:
- “We simply had site visitors go instantly in entrance of us, inside 5 miles of us, perhaps two or three miles. However it was an air-to-air refueler from the USA Air Drive, and he was at our altitude, we needed to cease our climb.”
- “They’re heading off the northeast proper now, they handed instantly in our flight path. We needed to cease our climb, they aren’t portray, they don’t have their transponder turned on. It’s outrageous.”
- “If you may make a observe of it, we virtually had a mid-air collision.”
The air site visitors controller confirmed that he additionally didn’t see the aircraft on his radar, and commented the way it’s “outrageous” having “an unidentified plane inside our airspace, you might be completely proper.” Each the pilot and air site visitors controller said that they’d file studies concerning the incident.
The A320 ended up persevering with its climb after the incident, and accomplished its flight to New York, the place it landed safely at 8PM, after a 4hr22min flight.
Presumably this includes Venezuela operations
A number of weeks again, the USA Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a NOTAM (Discover to Airmen), warning of a “probably hazardous scenario” when flying over Venezuela. Per the warning:
OPERATORS ARE ADVISED TO EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN OPERATING IN THE MAIQUETIA FLIGHT INFORMATION REGION AT ALL ALTITUDES DUE TO THE WORSENING SECURITY SITUATION AND HEIGHTENED MILITARY ACTIVITY IN OR AROUND VENEZUELA. 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.
Whereas no airways from the USA fly to Venezuela, this warning brought on a number of overseas airways to droop flights to the nation. Curaçao may be very near Venezuela, so I’ve to imagine that the US Air Drive jet that crossed within the path of the JetBlue aircraft was concerned in some form of Venezuela operation.
I perceive the necessity for these planes to not seem on the usual radar, although it additionally looks as if extra warning needs to be taken to keep away from getting in the way in which of business airliners. Or is the advice that every one service needs to be suspended to locations like Curaçao, Trinidad & Tobago, and so forth.?
In principle, army plane have the idea of “due regard,” whereby they function outdoors of ordinary civil air site visitors management separation guidelines, they usually take full accountability for avoiding site visitors. Whereas that sounds nice in principle, let me remind everybody of the tragedy we noticed at Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA) earlier this 12 months, whereby a army helicopter was supposed to keep up separation from business plane. That ended with 67 fatalities.
Backside line
A JetBlue Airbus A320 pilot reported a close to mid-air collision after a US Air Drive jet handed only a quick distance in entrance of the aircraft whereas climbing out of Curaçao. The pilot known as this “outrageous,” and each the pilot and controller mentioned they’d file a report.
It’s my understanding that this isn’t the one such incident that has occurred within the area in latest instances, so it looks as if some extra precautions needs to be taken. Both that would come within the type of banning US airways from working in sure airspace (for the reason that US is the nation issuing these warnings, and performing army operations), or maybe merely having US Air Drive jets take extra precautions.
What do you make of this shut name over the Caribbean Sea?
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