Public Transport Safety

A JetBlue flight near Venezuelan airspace narrowly avoided a midair collision with a U.S. Air Force tanker after the pilot, on ATC recordings, estimated the tanker passed within 2–5 miles at the same altitude and briefly halted the climb. ATC called the situation “outrageous,” the FAA had warned U.S. aircraft to exercise caution in Venezuelan airspace amid heightened military activity, and JetBlue said it reported the incident to federal authorities and will cooperate with any investigation.

A United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER bound for Tokyo with 275 passengers and 15 crew returned to Washington Dulles around 1:20 p.m. ET after one engine lost power during takeoff and a piece of the engine cover separated and caught fire, igniting brush near the runway that was quickly extinguished. No injuries were reported, a replacement aircraft was scheduled to continue the flight later, and the FAA said it will investigate the incident.

Cathay Pacific says a passenger on Flight CX811 from Boston to Hong Kong allegedly attempted to open an aircraft door mid‑flight on Dec. 11, 2025; crew intervened, verified the door was secure, and the plane landed safely with no injuries. Hong Kong Police arrested a 20‑year‑old mainland Chinese male on suspicion of violating the city’s Aviation Security Ordinance and have opened an investigation.

Oscar Solarzano, an undocumented Honduran DHS says had been removed from the U.S. twice, was arrested after a stabbing on a Charlotte light rail car; federal prosecutors have charged him with illegal reentry and an act of violence on a mass transportation system, and authorities say he allegedly broke into a rail car while armed before the altercation. President Trump posted on Truth Social blaming Democrats for the incident, Mayor Vi Lyles noted the city’s public‑safety investments and that immigration enforcement is outside city jurisdiction, transit officials said the attack stemmed from an altercation between two individuals, a magistrate ordered Solarzano to remain jailed, federal officials including FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson commented on the case, and CBS cited an internal DHS memo saying fewer than one‑third of Border Patrol arrests in Charlotte’s recent crackdown were classified as criminals.

Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, a Honduran national twice deported and accused of allegedly breaking into a Charlotte light-rail car and stabbing a passenger, faces state charges including attempted first-degree murder and federal counts of illegal reentry and committing an act of violence on a mass transportation system. Mecklenburg County did not set bond and plans to transfer him to ICE custody, while the victim, Kenyon Dobie, remains seriously injured with a chest tube draining his lungs and a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $18,000.

Waymo is recalling 3,067 vehicles equipped with its fifth‑generation automated driving system after identifying a software defect that led some AVs to illegally pass stopped school buses; NHTSA posted the recall notice on Nov. 8, Waymo says it completed software repairs by Nov. 17 and will file a voluntary software recall with the agency. NHTSA has sent detailed questions with a Jan. 20, 2026 response deadline and said similar incidents are likely, while school districts reported dozens of illegal passings (Austin ISD documented 19, including one after a student crossed, and Atlanta reported six); no injuries have been reported and Waymo’s chief safety officer acknowledged the company must “be better.”