On Friday, a JetBlue passenger plane barely avoided crashing into a US Air Force KC-46 aerial refueling tanker. That near miss took place on the coast of Venezuela. The area had seen its second near midair collision in two days. JetBlue flight 1112’s diversion occurred in the air en route from Curaçao to New York’s JFK airport.
As JetBlue flight 1112 climbed to about 26,000 feet, the situation took an alarming turn. At one point during their climb they were forced to stop the climb cold when a US Air Force tanker flew directly into their path. The pilots reportedly made immediate contact with air traffic controllers regarding the incident. They highlighted the dire need to stop their rising trajectory to protect the public.
The position-reporting transponder on the US Air Force tanker involved in the incident was purposely turned off. This severely limited the ability of the pilots to see it coming. This lack of communication created the alarming situation of airspace safety over an area already being heavily criticized for being a potential disaster waiting to happen.
Fortunately for the passengers in these two jets, the unnamed commander of JetBlue flight 1112 described the harrowing encounter like this, “We were climbing right into him. This proclamation further underscores the severity of the crisis. It highlights the importance of strong regulatory oversight, communication and tracking in crowded airspace.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has underscored that these types of threats are capable of damaging aircraft at any altitude. They noted that these risks are even more acute during critical flight phases. This is true even during takeoff, landing, and when flying over densely populated areas.
The close call reported in this latest incident comes just two days after a separate near-collision was reported, which has aviation safety officials on high alert. Yet air traffic continues to increase. The FAA and other relevant agencies need to establish and uphold stringent standards that guarantee aircraft safety and avoid repeating the mistakes that led to these deadly incidents.
