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A United Airlines flight was flying too low and too slow when it barreled into a light pole and a tractor-trailer last month just before landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Flight 169 was traveling from Venice, Italy, to New Jersey when it struck the pole and a Schmidt Bakery truck during its descent at around 2 p.m. on May 3.
Dashcam video showed the moment the Boeing 767-400 passenger jet struck the bakery truck on the New Jersey Turnpike. All 231 crew members and passengers were unharmed, and the plane landed safely following the incident.
The truck driver sustained minor injuries.
BAKERY TRUCK DRIVER STRUCK BY UNITED JET THOUGHT HE WOULD BE KILLED, FATHER SAYS
A United Airlines flight struck poles and a truck while trying to land at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3. (iStock)
The aircraft was descending toward the airport when the crew experienced multiple runway changes before finally being assigned to runway 29, an 11-page preliminary report states. The NTSB noted that the flight was “normal until the descent.”
As the plane neared the runway, its airspeed began to decay, prompting the first officer to warn the captain that the aircraft was “still slow and a little low.”
The airplane descended dangerously low, reaching just 18 to 19 feet above ground level as it crossed over the Turnpike. It then struck a 15-foot-tall light pole on the turnpike just seconds before landing, the report said.
FAA INVESTIGATING AFTER UNITED, DELTA FLIGHTS NEARLY COLLIDE BEFORE LANDING AT PHOENIX AIRPORT
Surveillance footage shows a United Airlines plane clipping a tractor trailer during its approach at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026. (Obtained by WBFF)
The captain reported hearing a “thump,” while flight attendants in the back heard a “loud bang” just before touchdown.
After the plane parked at the gate, an onsite examination revealed three punctures to the lower left aft fuselage and slash marks on one tire, the report states.
Surveillance footage shows a United Airlines plane clipping a tractor trailer during its approach at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 3, 2026. (Obtained by WBFF)
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When asked about the report, a United spokesperson told Digital, “We don’t have anything to share.”
Following the accident, United Airlines issued a safety alert explicitly warning pilots about using visual glideslope indicators—the lighting systems designed to provide visual guidance during approach and landing to let pilots know if they are flying too high or too low along their descent path.
