WASHINGTON — The U.S. military says that in a previously undisclosed encounter in the skies over Syria, a Russian fighter jet flew so close to a larger American plane that its crew could feel the “jet wash,” or turbulence, from the Russian plane.
The incident happened Oct. 17 and was described Friday by Air Force Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S. military coalition in Baghdad.
He said the Russian plane came within about a half mile of the American plane.
Dorrian said the encounter was abnormal but did not pose a danger to the U.S. aircrew. He said U.S. officials have discussed it with Russian officials and believe it was inadvertent. He said senior U.S. officials were immediately informed, but it deliberately was not made public.
