United Airlines Flight Strikes Truck and Light Pole During Newark Landing
A United Airlines Boeing 767 collided with a bakery delivery truck and a light pole while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport; no serious injuries were reported.
On Sunday afternoon, a United Airlines Boeing 767 arriving from Venice, Italy, struck a light pole and a bakery delivery truck on the New Jersey Turnpike during its final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport. The aircraft, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members, landed safely without injuries to those on board.
The collision occurred around 2 p.m. as Flight 169 descended toward Runway 29, which is situated near the heavily trafficked Turnpike. The plane's landing gear tire and underside made contact with a light pole, causing it to fall onto a Jeep traveling on the highway. Additionally, the aircraft struck a bakery delivery truck operated by H&S Family of Bakeries. The truck driver sustained minor injuries from glass fragments and was treated and released from the hospital.
United Airlines stated that the aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally, and no passengers or crew were injured. The airline's maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft, and a rigorous flight safety investigation is underway. The crew has been removed from service as part of the process.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has initiated an investigation into the incident, focusing on factors such as flight operations, meteorological conditions, human performance, crew resource management, aircraft performance, and air traffic control. An NTSB investigator arrived in Newark on Monday, and United has been directed to provide the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder for analysis. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy commented on the situation, stating, "We don't quite know yet what happened. We don't want to get ahead of the facts, and oftentimes the first facts are wrong, but obviously there were issues with a couple of vehicles on the roadway."
H&S Family of Bakeries expressed relief that everyone is safe, emphasizing that safety is their top priority. The company is cooperating fully with regulatory authorities in the ongoing investigation.