WASHINGTON, D.C.: A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao avoided a collision with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker on December 12 after takeoff by halting its ascent.

The JetBlue pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

"We almost had a midair collision up here," the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. "They passed directly in our flight path. … They don't have their transponder turned on. It's outrageous."

The incident involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curaçao, 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 airspace.

Derek Dombrowski, a spokesman for JetBlue, said, "We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation."

"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," he added.

The Pentagon referred The Associated Press to the Air Force for comment. The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In November, the Federal Aviation Administration warned U.S. aircraft to "exercise caution" when in Venezuelan airspace because of heightened military activity in or around Venezuela and the worsening security situation.

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