A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path, according to a recording of the pilot's conversation with air traffic control.

"We almost had a midair collision up here," the JetBlue pilot said on the recording. "They passed directly in our flight path. ... They don't have their transponder turned on, it's outrageous."

It's unclear how close the planes got because, according to Flightradar24, which tracks real-time aircraft flight data, and the pilot, the American military tanker was flying without its transponder on. Transponders are devices that give information to air traffic controllers about an airplane's location.

The incident involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curaçao, which is just off the coast of Venezuela, en route to New York City's JFK airport. It comes as the U.S. military has stepped up its drug interdiction activities in the Caribbean and is also seeking to increase pressure on Venezuela's government.

"We just had traffic pass directly in front of us within 5 miles of us — maybe 2 or 3 miles — but it was an air-to air-refueler from the United States Air Force and he was at our altitude," the pilot said. "We had to stop our climb." The pilot said the Air Force plane then headed into Venezuelan air space.

Derek Dombrowski, a spokesman for JetBlue, said Sunday: "We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation." He added, "Our crewmembers are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team."

In a statement to CBS News, an Air Force spokesperson said the military branch is aware of the incident and is currently reviewing the matter.

"Military aircrews are highly trained professionals who operate in accordance with established procedures and applicable airspace requirements," the spokesperson said. "Safety remains a top priority, and we are working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation."

The Federal Aviation Administration last month issued a warning to U.S. aircraft urging them to "exercise caution" when in Venezuelan airspace, "due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela."

According to the air traffic recording, the controller responded to the pilot, "It has been outrageous with the unidentified aircraft within our air."

Source