A U.S. Department of State aircraft, registration N569AW and callsign STATE69, departed Caracas on January 9, 2026, after an 8-hour visit, according to an X post by Arr3ch0 published during the 9:16 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. UTC window. This follows the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry's earlier confirmation of the U.S. delegation's arrival to initiate an exploratory diplomatic process. Reports emerged over the past hour of a major blackout across Venezuela, with outages confirmed in multiple states, as stated by journalist Emma Rincon in an X post at https://x.com/EmmaRincon/status/2009739847276044329. Rincon noted contacts from various regions reporting electrical failures. Three U.S. KC-130J Hercules aircraft departed from Ceiba, Puerto Rico (TJRV), tracked as #AE6A13/170038, #AE1528/167112/GROG81, and #AE130C/166513, according to an X post by sipjack1776 citing multiple aviation monitors. This activity occurred during the same 59-minute window. The State Department aircraft's departure caps the initial U.S. delegation visit confirmed by Venezuela's Foreign Ministry between 8:16 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. UTC, which included plans for reciprocal Venezuelan diplomats to travel to the U.S., as previously reported.
