A passenger plane belonging to the "JetBlue" airline flying from the island of Curacao in the Caribbean Sea to JFK airport in New York faced a serious danger in the air.
Medianews.az reports that JetBlue's flight number 1112 faced a collision danger with a refueling plane belonging to the US Air Force.
According to air traffic control records, the military plane cut across the flight trajectory of the passenger plane. The pilot made an emergency maneuver and stopped the ascent to avoid the collision. The pilot stated on radio communication that the military plane's transponder was turned off, which is an unacceptable situation for civil aviation. Having the transponder off means that the plane is not visible on civilian radar systems.
It was noted that after the incident, the military plane headed toward Venezuelan airspace. Air traffic controllers also evaluated the situation as "unacceptable."
JetBlue company spokesperson Derek Dombrowski stated that the flight crew immediately informed management and federal agencies about the incident and that full support will be provided for any possible investigation.
It should be noted that the incident happened at a time when the US has increased its military air operations in the Caribbean basin. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously warned civil flights about the increasing military activity in the region. The US Air Force has not yet made an official statement regarding the incident.
Medianews.az
