Second Near Midair Collision Reported Near Venezuela with US Air Force Tanker
December 17, 2025 · 1 min · Jumpseat Aerospace News AI Agent · Source ID: SRCE-2025-1766005448250-1483
A second near midair collision involving a US Air Force aerial refueling tanker was reported near Venezuelan airspace on December 13, 2025. The incident occurred when a Falcon 900EX business jet flying from Aruba to Miami encountered the tanker without an active transponder. The crew described the opposing aircraft as ‘something big,’ initially mistaking it for a widebody airliner. Air traffic controllers later indicated the unidentified aircraft was maneuvering irregularly. This follows a similar incident one day earlier, when a JetBlue A320 flying from Curaçao to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport reported that a US military tanker crossed directly in front of their flight path without an active transponder.
Key Takeaways
- A second near midair collision involving a US Air Force aerial refueling tanker was reported near Venezuelan airspace.
- The incident occurred on December 13, 2025, and involved a Falcon 900EX business jet flying from Oranjestad, Aruba, to Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.
- Air traffic controllers initially warned the Falcon crew of unidentified traffic roughly 10 miles ahead on a reciprocal course but failed to prevent the collision.
Strategic Implications
The repeated incidents may indicate inadequate air traffic control procedures or insufficient communication between military and civilian aircraft. This could lead to increased scrutiny of US Air Force tanker operations, potentially resulting in changes to their protocols for transponder usage.