The close call between American and Russian military jets in Syria has happened, officials announced. Near misses are a near weekly occurrence.
The closest call came on October 17, in the "middle of the night, probably somewhere around midnight," Lieutenant General Jeff Harrigian, the commander of US Air Force Central Command said on Friday.
A US aircraft “was generally in that same area” as a Russian fighter jet, and they had a “near miss,” Harrigian said, explaining that the Russian pilot probably didn’t see the US plane in the dark. The aircraft were “inside of half a mile” from each other.
“I would attribute it to not having the necessary situational awareness given all those platforms operating together," he said, noting that such occurrences are ""not a big deal." Both planes were flying without lights.
Another senior military official said that the American pilot could feel turbulence from the other plane.
"It was close enough you could feel the jet wash of the plane passing by," the official said.