A JetBlue airplane had to make a sudden emergency move in the sky. This was to avoid hitting a United States Air Force tanker plane. The event happened near Venezuela. Officials are now looking into what happened. This close call has made people more worried about air safety. The incident happened on a Friday. The JetBlue pilot had to stop the plane from going higher quickly.
JetBlue flight 1112 was flying from Curaçao to New York. The US Air Force tanker was reportedly not sending a signal. This signal helps air traffic control see planes. The tanker plane then crossed into the JetBlue plane's path. The planes were very close to each other. Some say they were only two or three miles apart. After this, the military plane went into Venezuelan airspace.
The JetBlue pilot told air traffic control what happened. He sounded very worried. "We almost had a midair collision," he said. "They passed directly in our flight path." He also said, "They don’t have their transponder turned on." A transponder is important for safety. It helps controllers track all planes. This is especially important in busy areas.
JetBlue is working with the government. They will help with the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Pentagon know about this. They will investigate the dangerous event.
This incident happens when there are more military activities near Venezuela. The US military has been doing more work in the Caribbean. They have been fighting drug smugglers. This has made the area less safe. Last month, the FAA warned planes about the situation. They told them to be careful near Venezuela. This near-collision shows the risks to civilian planes. It shows why planes must communicate well. It also shows that all planes need to use their transponders. People will watch the investigations closely. They hope for new rules to stop this from happening again.