Pilots of a Falcon 900EX business jet travelling from Aruba to Miami reported the encounter to air traffic controllers in Curaçao shortly after it happened on Saturday afternoon, based on audio captured by LiveATC.net. The pilots said the incident occurred at an altitude of about 26,000 feet.
“They were really close,” one of the pilots told controllers. “We were climbing right into him,” the unidentified pilot said, adding, “It was big, maybe a 777 or a (767).”
Second incident in a week
The Saturday incident follows a similar event reported on Friday, when pilots of JetBlue flight 1112 from Curaçao to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport said they were forced to abruptly halt their climb after a US Air Force aerial refuelling tanker crossed directly in front of their flight path with its transponder turned off.
The Pentagon and Dutch aviation officials said they are reviewing the earlier JetBlue incident. In a statement to CNN, the United States Southern Command said it was “aware of the recent reporting regarding US military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and (is) currently reviewing the matter.”
US issues warnings to airlines
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an advisory warning US airlines of increased military activity at all altitudes near Venezuela, and reiterated that warning on Tuesday.
“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,” the FAA said.
Following the advisory, several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Venezuela. On Tuesday, Copa Airlines said it would extend its suspension of flights to and from Caracas until January 15, citing “operational conditions at Maiquetía International Airport.”
