""We just had traffic pass directly in front of us, within 5 miles, maybe 2 or 3 miles," he saidin a recording published by LiveATC.net. He added that it was an Air Force air-to-air refueller. The JetBlue Airbus A320 was also only about 600 feet below the military aircraft. The pilot said the latter was at 34,000 feet while the JetBlue plane was passing through 33,400 feet and ascending to 35,000 feet."
""They don't have their transponder on," he said. "It's outrageous." "I don't have anything on my scope," the controller replied. "You are totally right, sir." The pilot then asked the controller to make a note of it, adding: "We almost had a midair collision up here." Transponders are a vital piece of aircraft equipment, as they send signals to air traffic control centers and to other nearby planes."
JetBlue Flight 1112, an Airbus A320 flying from Curaçao to New York, reported a near midair collision about 20 minutes after takeoff. The pilot told Curaçao air traffic control that another aircraft passed directly in front of the JetBlue plane within two to five miles and about 600 feet above. The other plane was identified as a U.S. Air Force air-to-air refueller at about 34,000 feet while the JetBlue was passing 33,400 feet and climbing to 35,000. The crew stopped their climb and descended to avoid a collision. The pilot reported the military aircraft's transponder was off, and the controller confirmed no target appeared on the radar scope.
Read at Business Insider
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