By Zoila Palma: Another near-miss involving a United States Air Force aircraft was reported off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday, Dec. 13, just one day after a similar incident involving a JetBlue passenger jet.
According to People, pilots of a private Falcon 900EX business jet flying from Aruba to Miami narrowly avoided a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker near the Dutch island of Curaçao while climbing. “They were really close,” one of the pilots told air traffic control, adding, “We were climbing right into him.”
The incident followed a reported near-collision the previous day, when a JetBlue flight departing Curaçao for New York was forced to halt its climb after a U.S. military aircraft crossed its flight path.
“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot told controllers, noting that the military aircraft appeared to be flying without an active transponder.
JetBlue later confirmed the event had been reported to federal authorities and said the airline would cooperate with any investigation.
U.S. and Dutch aviation officials have said they are reviewing both incidents, while the U.S. Air Force referred inquiries to U.S. Southern Command, which has not yet responded publicly.
The reports come amid heightened concern over air safety in the region, following a Nov. 21 warning from the Federal Aviation Administration urging carriers to exercise caution in Venezuelan airspace due to worsening security conditions and increased military activity.
The post International News: U.S. Air Force aircraft involved in second near-midair collision near Venezuela appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Another near-miss involving a United States Air Force aircraft was reported off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday, Dec. 13, just one day after a similar incident involving a JetBlue passenger jet. According to People, pilots of a private Falcon 900EX business jet flying from Aruba to Miami narrowly avoided a U.S.
The post International News: U.S. Air Force aircraft involved in second near-midair collision near Venezuela appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
